Dragon Ball Omega
by S-Shield
Summary: At last the evil, true history of the Dragon Balls has finally been revealed. Now, Goku and Uub must achieve new levels of power in order to combat this dark threat from beyond the dawn of history. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

As soon as the Elder awoke, he knew something was wrong.

He opened his eyes, taking a moment to push the drooping antennae out of his face. He reached down and took hold of the long staff that served as the symbol of his status as Elder, and planted it into the ground in an attempt to raise himself from the sitting position his people favored when sleeping.

"Let us help you, Elder!" called an eager voice.

Two young children rushed to his side to offer their assistance.

"Thank you, my children. This body is old and stiff."

As they placed their hands upon him, the Elder could not help but note the difference between himself and his young charges.

While his skin was paper-thin, and had the color of aged moss, theirs was full and shone a healthy green. Even their antennae were upright and attentive. They were the picture of healthy, young, Namekian children.

So it was with an even greater sense of sorrow that he knew both their lives were soon to end.

"Did you dream of great things, Elder Mollusk?" asked the smaller of the two.

"Not this night, Klam." Should he tell them of his fear? Or would that only rob them of what happy time they might have left to them?

"Oh, I see. Oysta and I were hoping for a new story."

"Don't bother the Elder with that now!" Oysta objected. "Are you alright, sir? You seem ill at ease. Shall I fetch one of the adults?"

"No, no. Do not trouble yourself. Take me to my chair, please."

The boys led the Elder Namekian through the hallways of the nearly-empty city. Once, this had been a place of laughter and song, of quiet and reflection. Now it was only a city of the dead.

"What of the others?" asked the Elder.

"It is still night time. The others are asleep. Klam and I were awoken by the cold, and a moment later, we heard you stirring."

"That is good," said Mollusk. "Let them sleep, and be at peace."

They arrived at the Elder's Throne Room. Mollusk took his seat in the large chair, decorated like the rest of their city, to call to mind the shell of the snail. He could feel his discomfort increasing. The cold was growing stronger. He knew the other adults were already dead.

Mollusk looked down at his two sons. Oysta and Klam, the last children who would ever be born to this lost tribe of Namekians.

Klam smiled up at him. "Story?"

"Klam! Leave the Elder be!" Oysta rebuked his brother.

Mollusk smiled. He could understand the boy's wish for entertainment. There was very little beyond the brothers' studies to keep them occupied in this place. Each Namekian reproduces by laying eggs. Mysteriously, there had not been any children born to this last generation. As time went on, and the population grew old and died off, all hope had seemed lost, until after many days of fasting and prayer, the Elder finally laid a single golden egg that had contained two infants. Twins were a rare and momentous event for Namekians. It was hoped that this would bring glad tidings. Oysta and Klam were twins, but Oysta was taller and more mature. Klam had become Oysta's unofficial responsibility. They looked after each other. But they had been born into a world without children. So the brothers had no one else with which to play.

Mollusk could feel the source of the coldness growing stronger.

He now resolved to fight it, as best he could. For although his body was frail, his mind and spirit were still as hard as iron. But it would require concentration. And the boys must not be aware of the struggle, lest they become distressed and distract his work. They must all three be focused on the same task, without the young ones knowing the purpose.

"I have an idea," said Mollusk. "How about you two tell me a story, for a change?"

"Us!?" exclaimed Klam. "But we don't know any!"

"That is not true. Your studies involve all types of tales from our past. Why don't you tell me the story of the Old World?"

Klam moaned, "But we already-"

"Stop being difficult, Klam," Oysta interrupted. "The Elder says that we must know our history, so that we can pass it on to our offspring."

Oysta's idea of a happy future pained the Elder. But time was short and he knew he must drive all other thoughts from his mind.

"Begin the tale," Mollusk instructed, and he hung his head, as if in prayer. In reality, Mollusk was mentally seeking out the cause of the disturbance, and attempting to confine it.

Oysta and Klam turned to face each other. Stories told in Namekian required two parts, one to tell the tale, and one to question it.

"In the Old World," Oysta began, "we Namekians worshipped the Dragon Gods."

"And were we right to do so?" asked Klam, acting as the devil's advocate.

"The Dragon Gods protected us," continued the first boy. "They offered us magic and whispered secrets in our ears. But we were deceived. The Dragons were not gods. They were from the Land of Shadows. When the True Gods discovered this, they were displeased, and they made War on the Dragons. The True Gods banished the Dark Ones from the light."

"But that was not the end of sorrow, was it?"

"The Dragons' crimes were too great. They could not be allowed to live, but the gods lacked the power to kill the Dragons. So they had to be sealed away. The Namekians had gladly partaken of the words of shadow, and lamented their abomination, but the True Gods were kind. They offered us the chance to use our forbidden knowledge to make amends. We were uprooted from our beloved soil and made to stand-fast against the dark, at the other end of the universe. And so now, we use our magic to guard the Dragon's Tomb until the end of time."

"But are we not alone?"

"The filth and sin of the Dragons' magic was rampant in the universe. This darkness had even the power to reshape worlds. But it could not be destroyed, as it had taken root. So, like the Dragons, it too must be sealed away. Contained, and given structure. The True Gods took all the random magic loosed by the Dragons and bound it to seven magic balls. Our brothers stayed on the home world, and were made custodians of those seven sins, those Dragon Balls. We guard the Dragon's bodies, while our brothers guard their sins."

"All you have spoken is true," said Klam, finally accepting the story as per the ritual. "We will watch and obey, for we must atone."

While the boys recited the ancient tale of their wayward ancestors, Mollusk had been stretching out his senses and spirit in an attempt to press back the advancing darkness. The boys' tale had aided him in focusing his mind against the threat he feared he perceived. After millennia, the Dark Dragons were breaking loose.

Mollusk could not begin to imagine why this was happening now. The Dark Dragons had been sealed away by the True Gods untold ages ago. And as atonement for worshiping the false idols, this tribe of Namekians had stood guard above the seal ever since. In all that time, never had the Dragons so much as stirred. And now the Elder could feel the bonds of Namekian magic failing. Old magic, put in place long ago, and maintained through their constant suffering and prayer, gone!

The coldness, it was the sign of their approach. Mollusk knew that the only other Namekians in this city, on this small planet, were old and feeble. The cold had crept into their bones and extinguished their lives. He and the boys were all that remained. His boys….

"I don't like that story. It makes me sad," said Klam, interrupting the old Namekian's ruminations.

Mollusk could sense his strength waning. He was not going to be able to stop this. He knew he should continue fighting, but it was strange. It was almost as if nature itself was giving over to this dark force. Mollusk almost got the feeling that he was suppose to let this happen. A sense of comfort pervaded him as he thought of relaxing. Letting whatever was to come… come.

"It makes us all sad, my child," said the Elder, lifting his head. "But we must learn the story well. For it tells us of our place in this universe."

They all sat quietly for a moment, Mollusk gazing at his children. His fear for their safety had eased as well. He was a religious man, after all. A man of faith. He would trust.

"Father," said Oysta meekly. This was the first time Oysta had called him anything other than Elder in a long time. "I'm getting colder."

"Me too," added Klam. "And sleepy."

"I know, my sons. Come here."

The boys crawled into their father's lap. And all three snuggled into each other for warmth.

"What's going on, father? Why is this happening?" Klam asked.

"There is a purpose for all things, my sons. These events too will make sense in time. We have our part to play. All things do."

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S-Shield's notes

So this is my first published fan fic. It's about Dragon Ball Z, obviously.

I want to thank those of you who read this far, and I hope you'll keep reading.

Please, leave a review and let me know what you think, good, bad or indifferent. I'm just looking for a little feedback.

Thanks again.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

As soon as Uub awoke, he knew something was wrong.

Through his bedroom window could see that the sun was already far above the horizon. It was well past dawn, and he could smell Chichi cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

Why hadn't Goku woken him for their morning exercises, thought Uub? Goku always preferred to start very early in the morning, that way the rest of the day was theirs to goof off, if they felt like it. Every day for the last seven years, Uub had risen with the sun and trained with Goku, his martial arts master. It was only after several hours of practice that they would come home for breakfast.

The fact that it was already so late in the morning that Goku's wife, Chichi, was cooking concerned the seventeen year-old.

Climbing out of bed, Uub went ahead and dressed for training in his loose-fitting gi. Contrary to what the neighbor's thought, Goku and his family did not typically wear their fighting suits during everyday activities. But if Uub had over-slept, he didn't want to compound the offence by showing up for practice unprepared. Not that Goku would have minded all that much. He probably would have just laughed it off. But Goku's granddaughter Pan would make a huge fuss about it. She would probably be all over him for sleeping in, too. She lived next door with her parents, Goku's older son Gohan and his wife Videl, and was Uub's current training partner. It seemed like she looked for any excuse to berate Uub, so he was better off being prepared.

Getting dressed was a lot easier now that Goku's other son, Goten, had finally moved out on his own. That meant they no longer shared a bedroom, and that all the clothes piled on the floor must then be Uub's.

On his way out of the room, Uub caught his reflection in the mirror and stopped. He had certainly grown up these past seven years. Uub still had the same dark brown skin and black mohawk he sported when he first met Goku. But now he was much taller, and his face had lost that nervous, confused expression. Years of living with the loud and excitable Goku had taught Uub to relax and enjoy life more. Years of training with Goku had taught Uub confidence and strength. He wasn't a little boy anymore. As his mother had lamented the day Uub left their village, he had the look of a man.

But looks or not, Uub was in fact confused, and so he set off for the kitchen to see if he could discover what was up with Goku.

Decked out on the dinning room table was the customary breakfast Chichi prepared. Goku and Uub alone could put away an astonishing amount of food, but sometimes Gohan and his family would stop over as well. And even though Goten had made a big deal about moving out and being so independent these days, he was not above coming over and helping himself to his mother's home cooking.

Chichi glanced up from the stove.

"You slept in this morning, huh?"

"I know. And Goku didn't wake me up. Did he head off without me?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea where that man is, although that shouldn't come as much of a surprise," Chichi said. "He was already gone before I got up, myself." She always made a big deal about how for their entire married life, Goku would periodically disappear for months or years at a time, only to reappear as if nothing had happened and ask what was for dinner. The ridiculousness of the situation was always compounded by the excuses Goku offered upon his return. _I was on another planet, _he'd say. Or _I was battling demons in another dimension. _And of course, Chichi's personal favorite, _I was dead. _Thing was, Goku always told the truth, even the part about being dead. And he had used that excuse twice! Such was the crazy life of Goku. A life he had drawn Uub into. A life Uub was glad to be a part of.

"Why don't you go check next door and see if Pan is there or if anyone else has seen Goku?" Chichi offered.

"Alright, I'll try over there."

Uub left the kitchen, but on his way out the door, he walked past Goku and Chichi's bedroom.

Uub stopped cold.

"Chichi?" he called. "You said that Goku was gone before you got up, right?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked, coming around the corner.

"The air in your room smells like it does when Goku uses his Instant Transmission to teleport."

"What, really?" asked Chichi. "Why would he do that? He could have just left through the door. That man…" Chichi exhaled as she went back to the kitchen.

Lingering a moment longer, Uub finally gave up and headed outside for Gohan's.

Uub had met Goku and his family seven years before, at the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament. Uub was there hoping to win the prize money so he could take it back to support his poor village, which rested on an isolated island. Even though he was only ten years old at the time, Uub had been the strongest fighter in the whole village and so he was their best hope.

But when he arrived at the Tournament, Uub had the misfortune to be placed in his first match against Goku, a seasoned grand-master who had already won tournaments in the past. But during their match, Goku became enormously impressed with Uub's potential and natural talent for fighting. Goku cut the match short and offered to teach Uub all he knew in the ways of combat. A little taken back, Uub nevertheless accepted Goku's offer. The older man then said goodbye to his family and went to live with Uub and his for the next five years. Again, this was typical behavior that didn't shock too many people who knew Goku.

Goku had chosen to take up residence in Uub's village, so that the boy could still remain with his parents and five siblings. Goku's kind and outgoing nature helped Uub's family eventually adjust to the strange living situation. After Uub explain who Goku was and why he was eating breakfast at their table, Uub's large family adopted Goku as an uncle, of sorts. Uub's parents were delighted that a martial arts master of Goku's strength and skill favored their son so highly. Eventually, everyone on the island welcomed Goku with open arms. Of course, the fact that Goku's friend and in-law, the famous Mr. Hercule Satan, savior of the planet, vouched for Goku and had agreed to "sponsor" Uub's training by donating a great deal of money to the village hadn't hurt matters, either.

Goku and Uub had spent the next five years training together. At first, Uub had been afraid that things were a little bit one-sided. After all, he was just a raggedy kid sparring with a man who had literally trained with the greatest fighters in both Heaven and Hell. Goku had battled Demon Kings and Alien Warlords, and had been victorious every time. Uub's biggest accomplishment to date had been the time he knocked out the biggest fisherman in their village by accident.

But, like always, Goku just laughed at Uub's insecurities. _Don't worry_, he said, _we all have to start somewhere. When good things happen, just smile and go with it_. This was Goku's philosophy for most of Life's problems.

So, Uub and Goku trained on their little island, occasionally going on field trips to the outside world just to explore. Two years ago, Uub finally reached his village's age of manhood, and as such, he was expected to move out of his family's house. The pair relocated to back to Goku's family home. That's when Uub's training had really begun.

As Uub crossed the small garden that divided Goku's property from his son, Gohan's, he took a deep breath of the clean mountain air. It was very different from the humid, tropical region Uub was born too, but he had found that he enjoyed seeing the different regions the world had to offer. Goku had lived on this mountain since he himself was a small boy, and built a house for his son when he got married. Uub wondered if he would have a house here one day too.

Uub arrived at the home Gohan shared with his wife and daughter, and knocked on the door.

"Coming," called a female voice from inside.

_Oh no_, thought Uub, _please don't let it be Pan_. It was really hard to tell Pan and Videl's voices apart these days. Especially after that stunt Pan had pulled in the Room of Spirit and Time.

The front door opened and behind it, thankfully, stood Videl.

"Oh, good morning, Uub. Looking for Pan, right?" Videl asked.

"Um, yes, actually. How did you know?"

"Well, when Pan got up and saw that the sun had already risen, she thought you and Goku had sneaked off to train without her. She ran for the hills so fast I didn't even get a chance to tell her to check next door first."

"Great, so she thinks this is all my fault. Again," Uub sighed.

"Well, you know how she is," Videl offered.

Uub did, indeed. That's why he was a little afraid.

"Well, like I was telling Chichi, Goku skipped out on both of us before I woke up, so I had nothing to do with it," Uub explained.

"Wait," Videl stopped him. "You say Goku was gone before you got up? What about Chichi?"

"Chichi hasn't seen him all morning either, why?"

"That's strange. Because Gohan was gone before I got up as well," Videl explained. "I thought he just went to class early to grade papers or something. Do you think he and Goku snuck off somewhere, instead?"

Uub thought about that for a second. Both Goku and Gohan were missing? It wasn't too much of a stretch that they may have gone somewhere together. Gohan may act like an average college professor, but he was actually the second most powerful fighter on the planet, behind Goku. If Goku thought he needed help with something, Gohan would have been to most logical choice. Except for maybe Vegeta… If only there was some way to tell.

"Videl," Uub spoke up. "Could I check something in your house real quick?"

"Of course. Do you think something has happened to Gohan?" she asked, letting him inside.

"I don't know. Let me see…" Uub trailed off as he sprinted up the stairs to the second story.

Sure enough, when he reached Gohan and Videl's bedroom, Uub could sense the distinct energy signature of Goku's Instant Transmission.

"What is going on here?" Uub asked, scratching his head.

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"Okay, explain this to me one more time," said Trunks, as he plugged in yet another large piece of equipment.

"I already told you, we're going to use the satellites to track Goku and find out where he ran off to with Gohan and your dad," replied his mother, Bulma, as she finished connecting the hastily re-configured computer console to the satellite uplink monitor.

Uub was currently standing inside one of the many laboratories owned by Capsule Corporation, the world's leading technology-based company, located in West City. He had flown over at top speed in hopes of finding Goku, or some clue to his disappearance. There, he had found Bulma and, after explaining the situation, discovered that her husband Vegeta was also missing.

Bulma was Goku's oldest friend, and arguably the smartest woman on the planet. She and Goku had met as teenagers, while Bulma was searching for the seven legendary Dragon Balls, which could grant any wish. Goku had inherited one from his late grandfather.

Their meeting had sparked off a series of adventures that carried them not only across the Earth, but to distant planets as well. Through it all, Bulma had been their group's tech-support, constantly building devices and equipment, including a radar to track the Dragon Balls, and even a space ship. These devices often served as solutions to their problems, but just as often, they were the cause of their troubles. If Goku was responsible for dragging Uub into a life of crazy adventures, then it was Bulma who was responsible for setting Goku on that path.

"Alright," Bulma said as she looked down at yet another last-minute invention, "Everything's set up! Let's do this!" She grabbed a baseball cap with the Capsule Corp. logo and pulled it onto her head with an unmistakable enthusiasm.

"Oh, great. She's got that crazy look in her eye again," Trunks sighed. "Thanks a lot, Uub."

"Sorry," Uub muttered as he smiled. He recognized that look. It was the same one Goku got when something amazing and impossible (and probably a little dangerous) was about it happen. Goku and Bulma must have been quite the team.

"Hey, you should be happy you have a mom who can still kick ass and keep up with what's going on around her. Not to mention one who can build a revolutionary tracking device out of spare parts, and look so darn good while doing it," she laughed as she winked at Uub.

"Oh, good lord…" Trunks moaned as he walked off.

"Okay, let's fire the puppy up!" Bulma called.

She pressed a few buttons, and the screen came to life. Bulma typed in a few command codes and let the system itself do the rest.

"Alright, now I understand the principle of what we're doing here," Trunks said as he looked over his mother's shoulder. "But what exactly does this thing do. And remember, I'm not quite as smart as you."

"Not my fault," Bulma remarked. "But basically it works like this. You know how Uub says that he can 'smell' when Goku teleports? And that it smells like outside after a thunderstorm? Well, my theory is that Goku's Instant Transmission works on the principle of converting mass into energy, and thereby traveling at light speed. This causes an ionic dispersion, which is why it smells like thunder."

"Um, I'm not certain that's scientifically sound, mother," Trunks offered.

"Oh, please, you just don't have enough vision to see outside the box. I'm always amazed at what you find fault with "scientifically" while you are flying around and shooting bolts of energy out of your hands. Just roll with it, kid. Momma knows what she's doing."

Uub let out a low whistle of mock amazement. "Sorry, man. I know that had to hurt."

Trunks rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Bulma continued. "Basically, I'm using the Capsule Corp Satellites to track Goku's movements via his ionic energy dispersions. This should give us a clear picture of where he went and where he's going."

"I'm just surprised he took Dad with him," said Trunks.

"Well, you know their rivalry was always one-sided. Goku never had a problem with Vegeta, unless he was killing people, of course. And over the last few years, your dad has really mellowed."

"PING-PING!"

"Ah, good. It's tracked Goku and mapped out his trajectory," Bulma explained as she called up the data.

"Already?" said Trunks. "I didn't even think that thing would actually work."

"So, where is Goku now?" Uub asked, stepping closer to the screen, trying the make sense of the random sequence of numbers.

"Hold your horses; I've got to read this through," Bulma said. "Okay, the trail starts out at your house, see the coordinates?" She asked.

"Um, yes?" Uub replied.

"That must be when he picked up Gohan. Then he teleported all the way here, to West City. That must be when he grabbed Vegeta. After that, huh." She stopped.

"What is it?" Trunks asked.

"Oh, nothing. He just went up is all. Let's see, what is in that region. Ah, it's Kami's Lookout!"

"Kami's Lookout?" Trunks said.

"Yeah," answered Uub, "That's where Dende and Piccolo live. Why would Goku go there?"

"I guess to either talk to Piccolo, or Earth's current local god," Bulma offered.

Piccolo was another one of Goku's old enemies-turned ally. He was originally from the Planet Namek, as was Dende, who currently held the position as God of the Earth. That post had previously been held by Piccolo himself, or at least the good half of him. It was Piccolo's good half that had originally created the Dragon Balls, while his evil half became known as the Demon King. Goku had defeated the Demon King several times, and they had formed an uneasy truce when Earth was threatened by an even greater evil. Eventually, the two halves of Piccolo had merged, in order to gain greater strength. But this had rendered the Dragon Balls powerless, and so another Namekian had to be found who could restore the orbs. That had been when Dende came to Earth, and took up the role of Kami-Sama.

"So is that where they are now?" Uub asked excitedly, getting ready to jump out the window and going flying up there.

"No, not anymore…" Bulma trailed off, visibly disturbed by something.

"Mom, what's the matter?" Trunks asked.

"Well, it's just that, it seems that after reaching Kami's Lookout, they took off again."

"Which way did they go?" Uub asked.

"Up," said Bulma.

"Up? But there's nothing on Earth higher than Kami's Lookout," Uub said.

"I know. They went into space."

"What?" Trunks sputtered. "Is that even possible? Goku can travel through space with his Instant Transmission."

"That's how he got Dende here," Bulma offered.

"Well, if you already knew that, then why are you so upset?"

"Because of where they ended up," Bulma said. "The satellites tracked them into deep space. But I just can't believe it."

"What? Where did they go?"

"Some place impossible. I'd know those coordinates anywhere." Bulma took a breath. "Those are the coordinates for the Original Planet Namek."

"The one Frieza blew up?" Uub asked.

"But how do you know?" asked Trunks.

"Because I went there. I converted Piccolo's space ship into our language, and I input the coordinates a hundred times. I even learned to speak Namekian for the trip. And I'm telling you, for some reason, Goku took Vegeta, Gohan and possibly Piccolo back to where Planet Namek used to be."

"Wait," said Uub. Now it was his turn to be incredulous. "Goku can only teleport to places where he feels someone's chi that he recognizes. And even then, he can't survive in space without a space suit or something. Planet Namek was destroyed, and what was left of the Namekian race had to relocate to a new world. There is nothing there but empty space."

"I know all that," said Bulma in a calm voice. "But this thing is not wrong. That's where they went, and that's where they are right now."

They all stood quietly for a moment. Uub could not wrap his head around any of this. It was just too strange. Nothing added up. All he had now where more mysteries.

"Well, I guess you know what this means!" Bulma suddenly exclaimed, the old gleam returning to her eyes.

Trunks and Uub looked from her to each other, both puzzled.

"It means we'll just have to road-test our new space ship! Come on, get ready, we can leave in an hour!"

Trunks fell over with disbelief.

"What are you talking about!? You can just schedule a trip into outer space like you plan a Sunday drive! This is going to take time to set coordinates, pack equipment, and tell someone we're going!" Trunks could not understand his mother's attitude.

"Oh, come on! Where is your sense of adventure?" Bulma asked. "Uub'll go with me right? That sounds like fun, me, all alone with Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome over here!"

"Jeeze, Mom!" Trunks fumed while Uub blushed.

"Calm down, Trunks, I'm just kidding. You're father would kill the poor boy. Anyway, it's really not that big a deal, the newest ship I have can get us there in a day, so there's no reason to over-prepare. And don't you guys want to find out what's going on up there?"

Uub had to admit, he was extremely curious. And the look on Bulma's face reminded him of Goku. That look of wildness, of someone hungry for adventure. Uub hoped the look on his face was the same.

"Heck yeah! Let's go!" Uub shouted.

"God, not you too," Trunks sighed.

"Yeah, alright. Now let's –"

Bulma's next word was cut off by the sound of alarms going off.

"What now?" Trunks hollered over the sirens.

"It's the satellites," Bulma said. "They've locked onto something that's headed straight for the Earth." She paused, "I didn't even know they could do that."

"Is it Goku?" Uub asked Bulma.

"No," she said, looking to the screen. "Whatever this thing is, it's got weight and mass alright. And if it doesn't slow down, in about 10 minutes, it's going to rip into the Earth like a bullet!"

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S-Shield's Notes

So, here is the first chapter. Just to clear a few things up, this story technically takes place in the Dragon Ball Manga Universe. Which means that neither the Movies, nor Dragon Ball GT exist in this world. It's just a personal choice of mine, not a slap against those stories. And any DBZ fan will tell you that the almost none of the movies fit and GT causes problems as well. Plus, I have the whole manga series, so it's easier to look up info that way.

And just so people are clear; the Namekians in the prologue are not the Namekians that Gohan and crew met during the Namek/Frieza Saga. They are a completely different tribe of Namekians who split off from the main group and left the home planet centuries ago. Some of my friends didn't catch on when I showed them this story.

Anyway, thanks for reading all the way through, and I promise to update semi-regularly, hopefully weekly.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It had been decided. This planet would fall.

They harbored something that did not belong to them. A power which was forbidden to all except the select few.

He must find the Orbs, the fruits of their labor, the very breath of their life.

The Dragon Balls must be found, and those who had purloined their treasures must be punished.

Earth would fall. So it had been decided.

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As Uub and Trunks floated silently over a vast area of rocky outcroppings and mountain ranges, only one thought rested in their minds. Whatever was about to crash into the field below them was not emitting ki energy of any kind.

Bulma had assured them that whatever this thing was, it had a human shape. She could tell that much from her satellite readings. This wasn't a ship, or a space pod, or a meteor. This was a man-sized, man-shaped article, flying through space unaided at a fantastic speed, and it was about to crack their planet in half unless it was stopped.

Anything with that kind of raw power should be giving off so much energy as to make their heads split open from the pressure. But there was nothing. Perhaps it was a robot, or some other type of artificial life form? Or maybe it had the ability to mask its ki, even when it was in use. Uub didn't know, and he did not much care. All he knew for certain was that there was no way he was going to let this thing destroy the Earth, his home.

"Trunks," Uub asked, "are you ready?"

"I don't know," Trunks replied, a hint of hesitation in his voice. "I'd really rather wait for Goten to get here. Whatever this thing is, I'd feel a lot better if we could throw a Super Saiyan 3 at it."

Super Saiyan 3, it was the highest level of power possible for Saiyan warriors like Goku, Vegeta, and their sons. Uub had seen it for himself once. He agreed that it was an awesome display. It seemed as if nothing could stand against it for long.

The only problem was there were only two people in the universe who had mastered it. One was, of course, Goku, who was missing at the moment. The other was Gotenks, a being composed of Goten and Trunks, through the use of the technique called Fusion. Fusion allowed two people of comparable power levels to actually fuse their bodies together into one physical being, with the potential for power far beyond either participant.

But there was one catch. The combination only lasted for 30 minutes. And of course, the other person had to actually be there!

Bulma had sent Uub and Trunks off to the area where her computer had predicted this thing was going to strike. As they left, she promised to get a hold of Goten and tell him to meet them there. Even though they only had 10 minutes to work with, the speed with which they could fly didn't make that a big problem. Assuming Goten could find them in time.

"Okay, here's what we do," said Uub, taking charge. "Go Super Saiyan now. If we could just feel this thing in the sky, Goten could find it easily. But since none of us can, we'll just have to raise our ki until he can't miss us. Besides, when this thing gets here, I don't think we're going to have a whole lot of time to strategize."

"Alright, let's go!" said Trunks as he began to concentrate.

The air changed subtly around the pair, as if it was becoming excited at the mere thought of witnessing a Super Saiyan transformation. Trunks' light-purple hair stood on end, finally hardening into a golden shade of blonde. Trunks' whole body was bathed in a dull yellow flame, while his very presence felt heavier, as his natural power level increased over 50 times.

"What about you?" Trunks asked, his voice edged with new-found confidence. Turning into a Super Saiyan always had a way of bolstering one's fighting spirit, and erasing all fear.

"I'm going to wait until this thing gets here. I work better when I know what I'm up against," Uub replied with a smile. "Besides, I don't have a fancy transformation. I just have to train and fight the old fashioned way."

Trunks sneered. "Yeah, this is pretty sweet!"

Looking up, Uub could just barely make out the light emitted by their target. It was like a bright red star, shining in the blue sky. As soon as Uub saw it, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"You feel that?" Trunks growled.

"Yeah, afraid so!" Uub hollered as he threw caution to the wind and released his own ki energy, pushing it as high as it would go.

It was cold. Whatever it was, it did not give off any ki energy, but the temperature had just dropped about 20 degrees. Uub's skin began to burn and it felt as if his very breath was being sucked out of his body. But even more than that, the coldness felt like it was inside him. It was as if nature itself was telling him to simply surrender. He had never experienced anything like this. This thing, it was something new.

"The wind's picking up! I think we're going to have to do this alone!" Trunks shouted, pulling Uub out of his daze.

It seemed as if Trunks was unaffected by the fear. Uub wondered if his Super Saiyan flame was keeping the chill out of his heart, or if the taste of fear itself had somehow fed his lust for combat.

"I guess so," Uub replied. "Unless you think you can teach me to do the Fusion Dance in less than two minutes?"

"No deal, I hate your hair, I don't want to risk dying with a mohawk!" Trunks called over the increasing rush of wind.

That's it, Uub thought. Let's keep our spirits up!

"Hey, guys!" a voice called from a distance. "Don't start without me!"

Both men looked over to see Goten, his normally black hair already blazing gold. He was flying so fast he literally shattered the ground below him as he passed.

"Fusion!" Trunks screamed. "Now!"

"Cool!" Goten called back.

As the two met up, they began to perform the odd little dance that was the basis of fusion. They knew exactly what to do, how to level off their ki, and they could do it no matter what the distraction, even though they usually did it at parties for fun.

In perfect mirror image to one another, they bent their legs and swung their arms in a bizarre sweeping gesture as they called out, "Fusion, Ha!" their fingers finally touching, completing the ritual.

There was large burst of light, and the air warped around the pair, making up for the vacuum created by the loss of mass. There now stood Gotenks, in the baggy pants and black vest that adorned all fused beings, with a full head of shaggy blonde hair so long it reached their/his knees.

This was Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks. And his power was so great it made Uub's head swim for a moment.

The drop in temperature another 10 degrees brought him back to reality.

"It's getting closer!" Uub yelled. "We've got to hit it with all we've got!"

"Right!" Gotenks agreed in the double-voice composed of both his benefactors.

"Ka-Me-Ha," three voices shouted in unison as the two men cusped their hands beside their bodies, focusing their ki and preparing to unleash their attacks.

"Me-HA!!!!"

Uub and Gotenks shot both their hands forward, expelling a mind-bending amount of pure power in the direction of the invader. Their beams traveled parallel to one another, inching closer and closer together the further along they went, until they finally reached their target!

It was over so quickly, there was almost no accounting for what had happened.

The level of backlash was something neither of the fighters had expected. The minute their attacks collided with the invading force it was as if someone had dropped a planet on them. The two were instantly knocked unconscious by the force of the recoil, and their limp bodies blew in the unforgiving winds like leaves in a storm.

They each hit the ground with a sickening crash, which added new cracks and depressions to the already scarred land.

After several minutes, Uub came to and tried desperately to open his eyes, but it was like they had been sewn shut. He rolled over and forced his body onto all fours. Digging his fingers into the ground, he took deep breaths until he felt he was calm enough to try opening his eyes again.

When he did, he wished he had just left them closed.

The fierce red light had grown until it outshone the sun in the sky.

Uub looked over to where Gotenks had fallen, only to find in his place, two young men lay, both unconscious.

It seemed impossible that anything could stand up against their combined powers.

As the light in the sky drew nearer, Uub thought of the Earth. His home. His family. His friends. Everything he knew and everyone he loved was here, on this little world. He thought of Goku, who had trained him specifically for this purpose. "You can't afford to be shy," Goku had said, "one day, you'll have to defend the Earth!"

Uub had raised his eyebrow at that one. Defending the Earth? That's the type of thing characters did in story books. Super heroes. Not normal guys. But it was true, there were people with the strength and the dedication to lay their lives on the line to protect this planet. Until this moment, Uub had counted himself amongst them.

But here he was, failing. His first ever attempt at saving the world, and he couldn't do it. The world was going to be torn in half, and there was nothing he could do.

Suddenly, the deadly flame in the sky vanished.

Uub thought his eyes had tricked him, but when he looked up, the sky was normal, there was nothing above him.

That's when he saw the shadow.

Uub found himself staring at a humanoid creature, standing only a few feet from him, with purple wings and skin molded out of burnished gold, and burn marks testifying to the recent attacks against it, but otherwise unharmed. It was surrounded by a ring of fire that burned Uub's skin as it left his insides cold.

Its face was oddly shaped, far more oblong than a normal human, with pointed ears and ridiculously fleshy lips.

As strange as the creature was, there was something familiar about it. Perhaps it was the air of authority it radiated. Like disobeying its orders would be breaking the law. Uub could not shake the feeling.

When it spoke, it spoke with a man's voice.

"You attacked me."

That was all it said. Its eyes bore holes through Uub's skull.

Struggling with all his might, Uub managed to lift himself off his hands. Right now, he was all Earth had. And if he was going to die, he would die standing.

"You," he started. "You were going to crash into Earth!" Focus on that, Uub told himself, don't let this thing intimidate you or hypnotize you. Get angry!

"I would not," the creature responded.

For a moment, Uub was afraid they had made some mistake, anticipating this creature's actions as aggression.

"I would not have destroyed this world until after I had found that which I seek."

"Well, that's not much better," Uub reasoned. "What is it you want?"

"The Dragon Balls," the way it spoke those words, almost as if uttering a prayer, disturbed Uub.

"Oh," Uub tried to chuckle though gritted teeth. "You're one of those, eh? What is it you want, Immortality? Goku said that's what they always want!"

"My power is everlasting" the golden traveler proclaimed. "And the Dragon Balls power does not belong on this world. I have come to claim what it ours!"

"And who are you?" Uub asked.

"We are the Dragon Gods. Ours is the power to reshape worlds. We gifted that power to the Namekians, and the Namekians alone. Yet the Planet Namek is gone. And we find Dragon Balls here. You have stolen them!"

Namek?! That was it. This guy reminded Uub of Piccolo, for some reason. That couldn't just be a coincidence, Uub thought. Goku grabs the strongest fighters around and takes off for Namek, a planet which no longer exists, and then suddenly a 'Dragon God' appears on Earth, talking about Namek and Dragon Balls and such?

"You injured me!" the creature spoke again.

"What?" Uub wondered, his attention drawn to the damage done to the dragon's perfect skin. He must have meant Gotenks. Clearly SS3 had done its job. Unfortunately, that wasn't much help now, with Goten and Trunks taking a nap in the corner.

As Uub looked back to his fallen allies, that dragon called out.

"No, not them. They are useless. Their power was nothing. But you, you are different. Had you alone struck me, I might have taken greater damage, but their power interrupted yours."

"That's impossible," Uub said. Goku had refused to train with Uub in his SS3 form, so Gotenks was far more powerful than Uub.

"That is true. Yet I see it in your eyes, you too are an impossible thing. Your history is clouded to me, but I see something unnatural about you."

Uub couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The Dragon raised his hand, pointing at Uub.

"My mission is changed. You must be destroyed!"

For Uub, everything suddenly shifted into slow motion. He could see the ball of energy erupting from the Dragon's outstretched hand. He could almost see space warping around the instrument of his death. But none of that mattered to him. Because at that very same instant, he could feel something deep inside himself awaken. It was like he had swallowed a live snake, and it was trying to wriggling its way out of his stomach.

Uub's body moved so fast that he could hardly keep up. He quickly dodged the attack with such furious speed he left an after-image of himself behind! Next thing he knew, he was behind the Dragon!

How had he taken its back?! Not wasting a moment, he kicked himself off the ground, driving his elbow directly into the small of his opponent's back! As the creature tried to recover and swung his own arm out in retaliation, Uub avoided that attempt as well, and launched the palm of his fist up into the Dragon's mouth, which resulted in a shower of purple blood raining up into the sky.

The bewildered look in the Dragon's eyes proved that he was just as surprised by the suddenness and ferocity of the attack as Uub himself. While he was in fact attempting to land blows on the invader, he felt as if he was running on pure instinct. But Uub did not know where he stopped and the instinct began. He had never felt anything like this before. From somewhere deep inside, this twisting mass of power was surging, screaming to be released.

The Dragon unfurled his wings as he sought to regain his balance. "This cannot be possible," he uttered in an attempt to reconcile these events with his knowledge of the universe. Yes, this boy's power was descended from a peculiar source, but he was still just a boy.

"I have fought gods. I and my kind waged war on the Kaio-Shins untold millennia ago! Not even the gods could harm me! What are you!?"

Uub looked up, taking the Dragon's gaze full force. He found he was no longer bothered by the cold and the fear. Uub felt as if he now knew what it felt like to be a Super Saiyan.

"My name is Uub. I am a student of Son Goku, the greatest fighter in the history of the universe. And I am Earth's Defender!"

"Be gone!!" the Dragon screamed as he took flight. Raising its arms it began launching wave after wave of blows at the fighter before him.

The entire planet should have shuddered and cracked under the force of those explosions, but the Dragon's power seemed diminished in some way. And try as it might, it could not feel a single blast land on its target.

Finally, after a symphony of light and sound that would have made lesser men blind and deaf, the Dragon eased his assault.

But when the dust cleared, Uub was still standing.

"Oh, yeah," Uub said with a wicked smile on his lips, "I like this."

"You are an abomination!" the Dragon roared from above.

"Me?" Uub asked. "You come to this world, and call us murders and thieves. You come here saying you will destroy this world! No, you are the abomination!"

Uub surrendered to the primal call for battle and destruction that raged within him. From deep within his chest, he let loose with a war cry that carried all the way to the heavens.

For the first time in its ageless existence, this Dragon God knew what it was to feel fear.

The Dragon drove both his arms before him and screamed!

"Devil Dragon Storm!!" it shouted, as a mass of negative energy coalesced around him. This was it! His ultimate attack! The one he had used to slay particularly fierce Kaio-Shins. His comrades had called it the God-Slayer.

Suddenly, Uub was hovering directly in front of the Dragon. He gently placed his hands on the hardened energy before him and simply pushed.

Before the Dragon knew what was going on, he realized he was being driven back by his own attack. He tried desperately to regain control of his power, but it was impossible.

Uub looked the Dragon directly in the eye.

"Devil Dragon Storm!" Uub said.

From his own hands, a volcano of power, identical to the Dragon's own attack erupted. After seeing this attack attempted, not even fully performed, Uub had mastered it without fail. And he sent it, coupled with the Dragon's own, against the supposed Slayer of Gods.

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Trunks awoke, a sense of someone shaking him drifted through his mind.

He sat up and looked around. Everything was quiet. Not far from him lay Goten, still out cold.

"Hmph, big help you were," Trunks muttered.

But what had happened, Trunks wondered. Did they win? Well, they must have, right? The Earth was still under his feet, after all.

Suddenly something dropped right in front of him. It hit the ground like a dead rock. As Trunks took a closer look at it, he saw it was a bizarre looking creature with gold skin. Although the 'gold' itself seemed to be flaking off. It was lying on its chest, and there seemed to be a very large open wound on its back.

That's when Trunks felt it. A familiar sensation, a ki he had felt before. Trunks head shot skyward.

There he saw Uub floating above them. In each of his hands, something resembling a wing was crushed up in his fist.

But it was his eyes! Those completely black eyes. And that look of pure, cruel, childlike joy. He remembered. Trunks remembered where he had felt that ki before.

In the back of his mind, Trunks could almost swear that he heard the sounds of manic laughter.

'Buu happy' a voice whispered to Trunks from down the years.

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S-Shield's Notes.

We got a good deal more action this time, eh? I hope it was good enough. DBZ is known for its fighting.

So, yeah, Uub is getting in touch with his less pleasant self. Is Buu back? Or can Uub control him? Or have things suddenly gone from bad to worst? Find out next time.

Thanks for reading, and seriously, please don't be shy about writing a review. Just a few words to let me know I'm going in the right direction. Take care.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

This was not happening!

Trunks looked up at Uub, the nicest, quietest guy he had ever know, and in his eyes, Trunks saw the look of a wild animal. And it was a look he had seen before.

It was Majin Buu!

Uub glanced down at Trunks and sneered. Releasing the two crushed wings held in each hand, Uub slowly descended out of the sky. And even though he landed light as a feather upon the Earth, the ground beneath his feet shattered so violently, it was as if Uub weighed a hundred-thousand pounds.

Trunks could not move. He was paralyzed. How could this have happened? Did it have something to do with the meteor or whatever it was that was going to slam into the Earth? Was that connected to Buu in some way? Had Buu possessed Uub?

The only thing Trunks knew for sure was that, with the level of killer-chi spilling out of Uub, even at Super Saiyan, Trunks had no hope. Maybe if he could rouse Goten, they could try Fusion again. But that was a slim possibility. His only option was to try and reason with his friend.

"Uub," he started, his voice frantic with concern. Not just for himself, but for everyone on Earth. "What's the matter? Snap out of it, man!"

Uub stopped for a second upon hearing his own name. He turned his eyes down towards the ground, as if attempting to recall where he had heard that sound before.

Trunks saw his opportunity.

"Uub, you've got to fight this! Whatever it is, you can't let it control you! Think about Goku! He wouldn't want you to give up. Fight!"

Uub's eyes flashed with rage. It might have been the mention of Goku, or perhaps the call to fight. But whatever it was, Uub didn't like it.

He disappeared suddenly and came to rest directly before Trunks, who tried to move away. But Uub grabbed the young man by the throat and held him aloft. Uub smiled.

"Mehehehe," came the cruel, childlike laughter. Uub began to squeeze.

Trunks could feel his air being cut off, and his eyes began to bulge from their sockets. If only he could just muster enough strength to go Super Saiyan, he might have some chance.

Just then, a foot came out of nowhere, and connected with the side of Uub's head, causing him to drop Trunks like a stone and sending him sprawling across the landscape, finally coming to a brutal halt amongst a pile of debris.

Trunks looked up and, through the haze, saw a young girl, about fourteen years old, with short black hair.

It was Pan.

"Jeez! What the heck is going on out here!?" she hollered. "I felt ya'll's chi from the other side of the planet!"

Trunks laughed once in spite of the situation. He rose to his feet and tried to clear his vision.

"I don't know. It's like Uub's gone crazy. I think Majin Buu's taken control of him or something."

"Majin Buu?" Pan exclaimed. "I thought he was dead. Didn't Grandpa Goku kill him?"

"I don't know what you tell you," Trunks replied.

"Well, whatever's going on, at least it gives me a chance to wail on this jerk!" she said, a wicked gleam of satisfaction in her eye. At that moment, if Trunks hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that Pan was related to his father, Vegeta.

The pile of rubble exploded with force as Uub announced his return to the fight. He just stood there, glaring at Pan for causing him pain.

"Yeah, you're right," she said. "That ain't Uub."

"No, it's not," Trunks agreed, his aura flaring gold as he upgraded to Super Saiyan status. "But we've got to stop him, no matter what!"

"Suits me!" she called as she launched herself at her former training partner.

Uub blocked her first attack with his forearm and counted with an upwards kick. Pan threw her body back to avoid the blow and allowed her momentum to carry her up into the air, where Uub followed.

Trunk joined the battle, striking at Uub's left. Uub shrugged off the hit and casually slapped Trunks back down to the ground, laughing as he did so.

This isn't going to work, Trunks thought as he landed. He decided to change tactics and ran for where Goten lay.

"Wake up!" Trunks roared while he back-handed his oldest friend, who lay comatose on the ground.

"Aw, what is it?" Goten asked as he tried in vain to open his eyes.

"Fusion!"

"Again? Didn't we just do that?"

"No time to explain. Fuse with me and then you'll know all about it, now move!"

Pan continued to struggle with Uub, who matched her blow for blow. She had never seen Uub this way. He had always been a good fighter, probably the best she had ever seen after Grandpa Goku. Not that she would ever tell him so. But this was a whole different level. It was like trying to fight a hurricane. This Uub showed a determination and confidence that bordered on insanity. And the whole time, Pan couldn't help but get the feeling that he was only toying with her.

And Pan did not appreciate that feeling.

She cupped her hands at her side for a moment, gathering energy before thrusting them directly into Uub's face. The torrent of power struck Uub like a train and knocked him back several yards.

Uub may have been good, but there was one thing he hadn't counted on. Goku never let Uub and Pan spar at full power before. Goku never let them get angry during a fight. Uub had never seen Pan give it her all. Uub might be a little stronger now, but she was still Gohan's daughter, and that meant something. That meant that her power increased with her rage. That, and Pan just plain didn't like Uub all that much to begin with.

As the smoke cleared, Pan got a full view of Uub's face after the blast. It was bloodied and torn up, adding to the grotesque appearance his wild expression had given him. Pan smiled.

But then so did Uub.

Before Pan's eyes, all the damage that her attack had done to Uub vanished, without a trace. Not only did the wounds close and the flesh regrow, but even the blood and dirt that caked his skin disappeared.

He had healed himself!

"Oh, crap," Pan muttered under her breath.

But before either party to make a move, a volley of energy bolts erupted from the ground and began pummeling Uub, driving him higher and higher into the sky.

Pan peered through the fire at the base of the assault and recognized a mountain of blonde hair and that strange little vest.

Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks. About time.

Gotenks finished off the attack with a Kamehameha of his own, which carried Uub beyond the clouds.

Gotenks suddenly appeared right beside Pan.

"So," he/they asked, "he give you any clues as to what the heck is up with him?"

"Not yet," she responded. "He was too busy getting his face blown off. Which means that little light show of yours won't keep him down for long."

"Hmm, new plan, then?"

"Where are Grandpa Goku and Uncle Vegeta?" Pan asked, out of the blue.

"In space, that's all we know. Something about Planet Namek."

"Namek? Buu? Jeez, I hate it when everyone starts talking stuff that happened before I was born, you know?"

"Yeah, we do. But it looks like we're right in the middle of our own little story at the moment. He's coming back."

Gotenks pointed up into the sky as Uub descended in a blazing ball of power.

"Okay," Pan sighed. "He's stronger than us, he can regenerate, and he's got the mind of a killer. Anything I missed?"

"He's also our friend, so we can't kill him," Gotenks added.

"Fortunately, I don't think that's going to be an issue for us," Pan gritted her teeth as she tried to think of something.

"Maybe he can't handle both of us," suggested Gotenks. "Let's double team him!"

Both Pan and Gotenks shot themselves up, directly into Uub's path.

Uub stopped himself abruptly in mid-flight and readied an energy attack. Right as he fired, his two opponents split off from each other, avoiding the blast and surrounding him on either side.

He turned and guarded against Pan's ferocious assault, taking a knee in the back from Gotenks instead. When he spun around to return the blow, Pan kicked him in the back of the head.

The team's approach seemed to be working. While Uub was busy with one foe, the other would take advantage. Uub was wearing down, and he was accumulating more and more injuries as his healing powers tried to keep up.

Everywhere he turned, there was another foot or fist in his face. Uub was getting frustrated. He could taste his own blood in his mouth, and he did not enjoy it.

"Screaaaaaaayyy!" Uub howled in frustration and rage, his eyes wide with untamed fury. He snapped and took the offensive, pushing both opponents together and driving them each back with the speed and power of his physical attacks.

It was like Uub had switched into a higher gear. His movements were a blur to even the amped-up Gotenks. Uub's speed was unreal.

Pan and Gotenks eventually succumbed to the intense blitz. Uub delivered each one a finishing blow that sent them flying back towards the Earth with such fierce velocity that their skins blistered from the air friction alone, slamming them into the ground.

The force of their crashes caused mountains to rise up around the twin craters.

Uub took a moment to catch his breath before dropping at last to the ground to check his handy-work.

Gotenks managed to stay fused this time, and dragged himself up first. Wiping the blood from his eyes, he stumbled over to Pan to find her broken form lying crushed within her rocky tomb.

"Pan!" he screamed.

As he tried to pull her back to life with his force of will alone, Gotenks was only mildly aware of Uub's return. Gotenks turned back around to face this monster.

He took one step forward and the ground erupted before him, separating Gotenks from Uub.

The fused being looked up and saw a fat pink man in puffy shorts floating in the sky. The sight would almost be ridiculous if it wasn't so welcome.

"Mr. Buu," Gotenks smiled.

The kindly Mr. Buu wore an expression of intensity one usually only saw on him when his dinner plate was empty.

"Buu help," he said as he dropped to the ground beside Pan. He placed his hands upon her, and a soft, warm light enveloped her whole form. When it faded, Pan was completely healed.

"Thank you, Mr. Buu," Gotenks sighed, relief flooding through both parts of him. But it was so very odd to be thanking one Buu while they battled another. A thought occurred.

"Do you know what's wrong with Uub?" Gotenks asked.

"Yes. He sick. Buu make better," the gentle creature vowed solemnly.

From the smoke, Uub emerged, viciously charging at the pair.

"Stop!" Mr. Buu ordered him.

Suddenly, Uub's body went rigid in mid-flight. He caught a glance at Mr. Buu, as if seeing him for the first time. He was afraid.

Mr. Buu strolled over to Uub, who stood frozen in place, mid-step.

Mr. Buu placed one gloved hand on Uub's chest, and veins began to radiate on Uub's skin, up his neck and over his head.

"Go to sleep, now," Mr. Buu commanded.

As Uub struggled as if in the grip of intense pain, Pan appeared beside Gotenks.

"When did he get here?" she asked.

"Just a minute ago, he saved you."

"It looks like he saved us all."

The whites returned to Uub's eyes as whatever magic Mr. Buu employed seemed to take effect. The veins subsided and Uub's raging chi finally dimmed like smoldering camp fire. Uub collapsed to the ground.

Mr. Buu looked back at the others and smiled.

"He good now. He sleep."

As the group of fighters stared at each other in silence, something else caught Pan's eye.

"Um, guys," she said, pointed at the nearby remains of the golden Dragon God. "What the hell is that?"

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S-Shield's Notes.

Hey, guys. Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this story. I had some personal stuff come up and blah blah blah. Anyway, I promise not to make you wait so long next time. (If anyone is still reading)

So, lots of action this time, eh? Hope that panders to your lust for violence. ;)

Interesting things are afoot, both at home and abroad. How does the arrival of the Dragon Gods pertain to Goku's disappearance and Uub's transformation? And just what the heck did Mr. Buu do to calm Uub down? Tune in next time to find out, and thanks for reading!

Review!!!


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"So, does anyone have any clue what this thing is?" Pan asked.

She was standing inside one of the many labs at Capsule Corp., looking on while Bulma and Trunks examined the strange body laid out before them. A body which was slowly losing its golden outer skin as it flaked away, exposing the healthy green flesh underneath.

"Not even the first idea," Bulma was saying, never looking up from her devices. "And what the heck are you two asking me for? You're the ones who fought this thing right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Trunks spoke up quickly, giving Pan a look that said not to interrupt. "But like I said, it happened so fast. One minute we were waiting for it to hit and then BAM! We were out like a light. Next thing we know, Mr. Buu was healing all of us and this thing was face down in the dirt. So, uh, I guess either Buu or Uub did all the fighting."

Pan glared at Trunks. Sure, she had finally agreed to keep Uub's breakdown quiet, but she did not like pretending to have been beaten so easily. But Trunks had convinced her that they didn't really know anything about what was wrong with Uub. Perhaps their mystery opponent had possessed Uub, like the story Goku told of Captain Ginyu and his body-switch technique. In that case it wasn't Uub's fault, so why blame him before they were sure?

The only thing Pan knew for certain was that the instant Uub awakened she would have her answers, even if she had to beat them out of him.

She looked over at the unconscious teen, who lay in a hospital bed at the other end of the room. Standing over him was a silent and oddly somber Mr. Buu. His quiet demeanor was almost comical the way it conflicted with his casually outlandish appearance.

Trunks caught Pan eyeing Uub and quietly prayed that she didn't start shooting off her mouth about what happened back there. As of right now, the only people who knew about Uub's little episode were Trunks, Pan, Mr. Buu and Goten, who was currently outside waiting for Chichi and Videl to arrive.

Whatever Trunks had told Pan, he was sure that Uub had somehow become possessed by Majin Buu. Or at least Evil Buu. His manic personality, the way his skin regenerated after every attack and the very presence of Mr. Buu confirmed it.

What Trunks didn't know was why. And until he did, he didn't want Pan's general dislike for Uub to get in the way.

Trunks looked over at Uub and wondered just what was going through his friend's mind right now…

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Uub felt himself floating through a black haze.

He couldn't tell up from down or what direction he was facing. But he didn't care. He was more interested in the strange rhythmic noise that echoed through this strange environment.

After a while, he realized that it was his own heartbeat he was listening to. The thought made him happy. His heartbeat sounded strong, powerful. A warrior's heart.

Suddenly, he became aware of the sensation of being watched. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, but he felt cold eyes observing him. And behind those eyes, something that was less than an intelligent presence, and more of an unstoppable force of nature.

"Don't worry," a voice said behind him. "He's under control for now."

Uub turned and saw Goku standing there.

"Goku? What are you doing here?"

"I dunno," he responded, looking around with casual interest. "I'm as surprised as you are."

Uub walked towards his master, ever aware of the eyes that followed him, leering out of the darkness.

"So, how you been?" Goku asked with a smile on his face.

"Um, not great," Uub replied, scratching his head. "I think something bad has happened to me. I think I did something bad."

"Hmm," was all Goku would say.

"No thoughts on the subject?" Uub asked, getting annoyed.

"Well, don't you remember the last time this happened?"

"What!?" Uub stammered.

Suddenly, the black haze dissolved and Uub was standing out on a large green field. It was just him and Goku, and they were here to train. Goku had finally promised to show Uub his Super Saiyan 3 form.

"So, like I was saying," Goku had continued on that day, "Power works differently for everyone in the universe. Most people are born with a certain amount of chi, or ki, or power level, or spirit energy. Whatever you like to call it. As people age, their power level increases until they reach maturity, and then it stops growing. It's like height, something predetermined by genetics and environment. They've only got a certain amount to work with, and that's all they get. Some people are born with a lot, and others aren't. Frieza's men were like this. They were all born with high power levels.

"Now, normally it's impossible to increase your power level through training. You can train your body, but not your spirit. Like I said, most people can only learn to use what they've been given.

"Except for the Saiyans. Saiyans had the unique ability to increase their power level two ways. One was transformation. Saiyans could look at a full moon and transform into Oozaroo, or Giant Apes, and increase not only their size, but also their power level by 10 Xs. But this was only temporary. The other, more permanent, way was to come back from serious injury. The closer to death they got, the greater the increase in strength when they healed up."

"What about Super Saiyan?" Uub had asked.

"I'm getting to that. But first, I have to tell you about humans. Because like I said, in the universe, generally it's thought to be impossible to increase your power level through training alone. But somehow, the fighters on Earth managed to do it. They learned how to not only train their chi to make it stronger, but to control it to such a degree that they can lower it to almost zero, and raise it unexpectedly to levels beyond their training by focusing their entire chi into concentrated energy attacks.

"This is why humans are special. And that's what you are, Uub, human. But there is something about you, and this is why I'm explaining all this stuff to you again. I've watched you grow over these last few years, and I think I've figured out how your power works."

"Doesn't it just work like other humans?" Uub had asked.

"Nope, you see, you don't get stronger by training. You get stronger by fighting. I noticed it when we first fought at the Tournament. Your power level actually increased DURING the fight. It wasn't that you had been hiding your true power and were releasing it consciously over time, your chi was actually growing to match mine."

"Really?"

"Yep. I think the way your power works is that when you meet an opponent, and let's say he's got a power level of 1,000 and you're at 500, during the fight, your power will actually grow on the spot until you are at 1,000 yourself."

"So why aren't I as strong as you now, after all the sparring we've done?" Uub asked.

"Well, these last few years, I've focused more on your technique than your power level. I have to say, you had a pretty rough style when we met. Plus, I couldn't just give you this kind of power without first knowing how to use it properly. But now I think you're finally ready."

"Alright!" Uub shouted as he took his fighting stance.

"Here goes," Goku smiled. "This is going to be so great. I can't wait to have a sparring partner who is as strong as I am. Then we can both get even stronger!"

Goku tensed his muscles and the air around him shifted, his hair stood up on end and eventually changed to blonde with the explosion of power. "This is Super Saiyan 1," Goku informed Uub. "You have to be pure of heart, and filled with rage to pull this off the first time."

The air changed again as Goku charged up for his next transformation. His blonde hair sharpened to a razor's edge and he was surrounded by chain lightning. "This is SS2. Vegeta and I had a heck of a time figuring out how to reach this form. Finally, we had to see Gohan do it right before we could follow."

Goku smiled wickedly. "And this is it, the form that I only mastered because I was already dead and couldn't die of exhaustion, and that Goten and Trunks can only do while sharing the burden because of Fusion. Super Saiyan 3."

The Universe exploded and rearranged itself as Goku released his true power. His body became more muscular and his face now looked so fierce. His golden hair reached down to his knees. And it seemed like reality itself was having a hard time comprehending this level of power.

"Alright, Uub," Goku said in a voice that showed no sign of warmth or comedy. Flat and almost angry. "Let's do this. Come at me!"

Uub flew into a white hot rage as he blitzed Goku, screeching with insane rage the whole time.

Goku's eyes widened as he immediately lowered his power level and resumed his normal form.

He tried to dodge Uub's attack, but it was almost impossible given the young boy's increase in speed. Goku's unconscious body flew backwards several yards before finally burying itself deep into the Earth.

Uub laughed hysterically.

But when he looked down at his injured master, his best friend in the world, the bloody haze left his vision and he returned to his normal self.

Uub lifted Goku up and took him to his hut to recover. When he did so, he sent the sorrowful Uub on a mission to Korin's Tower to fetch some all-healing Senzu Beans.

When Uub returned, he peeked into the hut and saw Goku, staring off into space with a serious expression. Fearing the worst, Uub entered. But when Goku saw him, he simply laughed and it was entirely his own fault he got hurt. He was simply unprepared for how much stronger Uub became. "Don't worry about it."

Uub returned to the inside of his mind.

"I had forgotten about that," he said aloud, although he was now alone. "But that felt exactly the same as it did today. It was like I lost myself. Like my power increased so much, I became stretched too thin, and couldn't control my actions."

"That's right," Goku said, suddenly beside Uub again.

"So what do I do?"

"I don't know. Enjoy the new power increase? Oh, and you should probably wake up soon. They are talking about you."

"What?"

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"I can too go, Mom!" Pan was shouting.

"You most certainly can not. You are only 12 years old!" Videl responded.

"I'm 14 now, Mom, remember!?"

"Oh, that doesn't count!"

"Yes, it does!"

"Everyone please!" Bulma shouted. "Uub is awake!"

Everyone in the room turned to look at Uub, as if he had all the answers.

"What's going on?" was all he could say.

"Is that all you can say?" Pan roared. "What the hell happened out there?"

"I think what she means is," Trunks interrupted, "what happened after we got knocked out?" The look on his face told Uub he knew exactly what had happened, and for some reason he wasn't telling anyone else.

"I um…" Uub started.

"Excuse me!" called a voice from the door.

The whole group turned to see a young green skinned man in white robes standing at the door, holding a wooden staff that was way too large for him, in more ways than one.

"Dende?" Goten asked. "But I thought you couldn't leave the Lookout, being the Kami of Earth and all."

"Well, I've been observing what's been happening here on the ground and I thought it wise to come down and share what I know, seeing as how I am the last one to see Goku on Earth, and I am the only one who knows precisely what that being over there is," he said as he pointed the staff at the crumbled dragon god who was now standing in the corner of the room!

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S-Shield's notes

Yikes, so it's been a while, huh? Sorry about that, but as you can see, I've been busy lately. I think this is the first story I published on fanfiction and since then I've written two complete Dragonball stories, including tons of other stuff.

But if you've followed my other work, you can see that my style has changed since I started writing. I've gone from over-explaining everything to a more rapid-fire style that just gives you what you need to know.

So I never quite felt up to getting back to this, since in my other style it takes me about an hour to do one chapter, and one of these takes me about 2-3, but I didn't want to change styles mid-story.

But I've seen people keep going back to this story over and over again, so I felt guilty about leaving them hanging, so I've finally decided to finish it. Luckily, I've had the whole thing worked out since the beginning; it's just a matter of writing it.

So, this chapter. What did you think? As you can tell, I put a ton of energy and thought into how power works in the DBZ world, trying to make it as orderly and sensible as possible. Since those theories gave rise to my idea about how Buu and consequently Uub's powers worked, I felt I should take a minute to explain. I hope I didn't put you to sleep.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I promise to update regularly.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The broken and bleeding Dragon God stood before them. The majority of his golden skin had flaked away, making him appear to be mostly green with golden patches. This, coupled with the fact that his wings had been torn off at the shoulders earlier, made it difficult for Uub to recognize him for a moment.

But when he did so, the young man leapt from the bed and took up position between his friends and the monster.

The Dragon tried to speak, but the damage done to his face and neck had not even begun to heal, and so all that escaped his lips were hoarse whispers. "…The…abomination…"

Uub hoped that the wall behind the creature led to the outside, because he would hate to have to tackle his opponent through it and into a nursery or something.

Suddenly, Dende jumped in front of Uub and spoke a series of unintelligible syllables while pointing his staff of office at the Dragon God.

Only Bulma, who was familiar with the Namekian language, even half-way understood what he was saying. Regardless, both Uub and Buu flinched as if reacting to the sound of nails on a chalk board.

The effects on the Dragon God, however, were more immediate and severe. His arms abruptly pinned themselves to his side, as if restrained by invisible ropes, and his eyes glazed over as he entered a bizarre trance.

Everyone stood there for moment, waiting for something to happen.

"Um, what was that?" Bulma asked.

"A binding spell," Dende replied, "in the old language, using a few sacred words from the Kai's language and this beast's true name as the catalyst."

"And where did you learn to do that?" Uub looked over Dende's shoulder to make sure the Dragon was really tamed.

"The Elder Kaio-Shin told me."

"Wait, which one is that, again?" Bulma asked. "I always get them confused."

"The old, wrinkly one, Mom," Trunks answered, "with the little mustache."

"That's what I was trying to tell you since I got here," Dende started. "This creature is a member of a race of beings from outside our universe. They have phenomenal powers of both destruction and sorcery. Both of which they taught to the Namekian race millennia ago."

"Why would they do that?" Videl asked.

"Because my people worshiped them as gods," Dende said, lowering his head as if in shame.

"But they were not gods," he continued. "They were a cruel, brutal race that destroyed all who would not bow to them. Their very existence warped reality, and eventually the entire Kai race went to war with them. It was during this battle that the Elder Kaio-Shin was sealed away in the Z-Sword by the leader of the Dragon Gods."

"The sword that Gohan pulled from the stone on the Kaio-Shin home world?" Goten asked.

"The very same," Dende replied. "The Dragons were so powerful that, in the end, the Kaio-Shins couldn't destroy them all. But they finally managed to seal them away in a black hole at the very end of the universe, guarded over by a tribe of Namekians, until recently."

"Why is it that whenever you gods can't deal with one of these crazy monsters, you just seal away so that we end up having to deal with them?" Bulma asked, a little annoyed. "I mean, first Piccolo, then Buu, no offense big guy," she patted Mr. Buu on the shoulder, "and now these clowns?"

"I have often thought of that myself," Dende stroked his chin. "Perhaps there is some greater plan at work."

"Yeah," Pan spoke up, "like we are the only dudes in a hundred million years strong enough to wipe the floor with all these freaks, so fate or the universe or whoever just keeps using us to clean house."

"That was pretty much the essence of my theory as well," Dende said.

"Finish the story, Dende," Trunks said, intent on showing this situation the consideration it deserved.

"Ah, yes. Well, you see, even once the Dragons were sealed away it was still hard to erase all the chaotic magic they had unleashed onto our sphere of existence. So the Kaio-Shins had the Namekians, as penance for their crimes, gather up all this loose magic and give it structure, creating the original Dragon Balls."

"So you mean that the Namekian Dragon Balls were created to contain all this evil magic?" Bulma asked.

"Not just the Namekian Dragon Balls," Dende said. "But even the Dragon Balls of Earth draw on this pool of power. You see, once a wish is made, it drains some of this dark force, which can rewrite the laws of physics, destroying or restoring whole planets and bringing entire civilizations back from the land of the dead, and puts it to use in our world."

"So how come the balls have limitations if they are really so powerful," Bulma asked.

"Because those limits were set by the Kais, and only a small amount is released per wish. But if someone could crack open the Dragon Balls and use their entire power at once, they could become a true God."

"With a capital 'G'," Trunks said.

"Exactly."

"So is that what he's doing here?" Uub asked. "Does any of this have to do with why Goku left Earth this morning?"

"Again, yes. The Elder Kaio-Shin told me that the Dragon Gods have somehow escaped their imprisonment and are now looking for the Dragon Balls, which they can use to restore their true power, since they are weak from battle and slumber.

"When Goku awoke this morning, he felt the presence of these creatures in our universe, even before the Kais did. He gathered Vegeta and Gohan and came to the Lookout. The Elder Kai spoke to us and told us all this from his world, along with the spell of binding. After that, Goku took those two and Piccolo with him via Instant Transmission, to investigate the apparent return of Planet Namek, which is where he felt the greatest collection of this dark power. So that must be where the Dragon Gods are now."

"Well, what the heck are we waiting for?" Pan said, "Like I was saying, let's all cram into that big space ship out back and head out after Gramps!"

"No," Trunks said, "we should have Kibitokai come down and teleport us. It'll be much faster."

"Now you're getting into it, huh?" Bulma smiled at him.

"Unfortunately, he cannot," Dende informed them. "During the War, the Dragon Gods evolved to sense out the presence of a Kai. If any Kai comes into the physical universe even for a second, the Dragons would be on him like a flash. And if they teleport any of us, we would carry their scent, and the Dragons would then find us!"

"I'm not scared," Pan said. "Uub took this guy down before he freaked out and you seem to have him tied up nice."

"What do you mean Uub freaked out?" Chichi asked.

Uub, Pan, Trunks and Goten all stared at each other.

Uub looked away, ashamed, but unwilling to keep secrets from his surrogate family. "I.."

"Uub get sick," Mr. Buu interrupted. "But Buu make better now. Not worry."

"What?" Bulma asked.

"Ah, when the Dragon appeared," Uub started. "I kind of lost control for a little bit after he took down me and Gotenks. I'm the one who did all that damage to him."

Before he could continue, Bulma smiled, "Yeah, you're Goku's apprentice alright. Goku would do the same thing every time things looked hopeless." She walked over and hugged him. "Thanks for saving my son. Uub." Chichi and Videl joined in, thanking Uub for saving their children as well.

"But…" Uub tried to tell them before Trunks interrupted him.

"Hey, now Uub!" He said in an overly-enthusiastic voice. "Don't go being modest now, it doesn't suit you! Hahaha!

"Now, Dende," he said, turning all serious again, "How long does that binding thing work? Can you do it to all of those Dark Dragons?"

"Well, it's mainly working now because he's still so injured. If he was at full strength, I'm no so sure. Frankly I'm surprised it's held this long."

Everyone took a step back, as if expecting to beast to free himself at that exact moment.

"But there will be others," Dende said. "This one came because of our Dragon Balls. And if he doesn't return with them, his brothers will follow."

"Hmm," Trunks started thinking. "So we've got an army of Dark Dragons coming to collect our Dragon Balls and possibly destroy our planet unless their man brings them back home… And we've got to get to whatever is currently residing in Planet Namek's original orbit to help Goku and dad. I think we might be able to kill two birds with one stone."

"You mean take all the Dragon Balls into space, away from the Earth and right into the enemy's grasp?" Bulma asked.

"Yep," Trunks smiled wickedly.

"Oh, yeah. You are definitely my son!" she smiled back.

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S-Shield's notes

Wow, you guys really like this story. I've gotten a ton of hits in just one day.

Okay now, don't get too excited. I really don't plan on updating everyday. I just had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted to do with this chapter, so I though I'd just get it done, one, to say thanks for reading and two, because I think this is a better ending if you have to wait a few days for the next chapter.

So, what do you think of my Dragon History? I had this whole history laid out for the Dragon Ball Universe, which has had to change slightly since the release of the newest DB Guide Book in Japan, where Toriyama gives some new info regarding the structure of the universe and Kai's place in it. But luckily I didn't have to change too much.

So, what do you think? Please review and thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"I still say he looks like Piccolo," Pan said.

"He does not," responded Dende. "Now please, I'm busy."

The pair stood atop Kami's Lookout, the sanctuary from which Dende watched over the Earth, just like all the Guardians before him.

Dende currently had his hands raised, palms facing the defeated Dragon God, who stood restrained by the young Namekian's magic inside a complicated design drawn on the tiles of the Lookout in a strange, gooey substance. Pan was afraid to ask Dende what it might be.

Placed within various sections of the design were 5 of the 7 Dragonballs. There were empty spaces visible, reserved for the last two.

Dende had his eyes closed and was muttering what Pan supposed to be a spell of some sorts.

"No, I mean, really look at him," she went on. "Maybe you can't see it because you look too much like Piccolo yourself…"

"I look nothing like Piccolo. We're entirely different classes. I'm a Dragon Class and he's a Warrior Class," Dende said indignantly. "There are distinct differences in our appearances, the shape of our eyes, the length of our antennae, clearly visible if you are familiar with the Namekian Race."

"Oh," Pan mumbled, realizing her faux pas. She looked up at the Dragon God. He looked so pitiful and helpless. "He's certainly had a bad day. I mean, he got beat up, hypnotized before he could even heal, and how you guys are going to use him in some ritual you and the Kai's cooked up to seal away the Dragonballs."

"Hmph," Dende grunted. "It's still better than he deserves. The filth."

Pan was shocked by Dende's slur. Dende was the only person she knew who was more polite and reserved than her father, Gohan. Still, old hatreds die hard.

"How we doing?" Bulma asked, walking over from the small castle at the other end of the floating structure, with Mr. Popo behind her.

"Fine," Dende said. "I'm just waiting for the others to return with the last few Dragonballs so that I can complete the spell."

"And you are sure this'll keep the bad guys from cracking open the Dragonballs and feasting on the power inside on the off chance they get their hands on them?" Bulma asked.

Dende simply nodded.

Bulma walked around the design on the floor, making sure to stay as far from the Dragon as possible.

"How you doing?" she asked Pan. "Fighting boredom?"

"Yeah, I guess. I still wish I could have gone down with the others and hunted for the DB's."

"Well, we need you up here just in case this guy breaks free of Dende's spell too soon."

"Isn't that what we brought him for?" Pan asked, pointing her finger at Uub, who stood far way from the others, staring over the edge of the Lookout, lost in thought.

"Heh, yeah. But it doesn't hurt to have a back-up plan," Bulma smiled. "What's with him lately? He's not shell-shocked from that last battle is he?"

"Don't ask me," Pan grunted as she turned away.

"I forget that you two hadn't been in any major battles before now. I've lost count of how many I've seen. Of course I was only tech support," Bulma looked off into the distance. "Too bad Bra doesn't seem to have much of a head for that stuff. She can't fight and she can't build spaceships, I don't know what she's going to do with this crowd."

"She's a better fighter than you'd think," Pan said.

"Oh, did you teach her anything that weekend you both spent two years in the Room of Spirit and Time?" Bulma asked.

"Had to do something to keep her from complaining about being bored. I went in there to train. She just wanted to be two years older so that she could grow boobs 'overnight.'"

"We're back!" Trunks shouted as he flew up over the rim of the palace. In his hands he held the Dragon Radar. Goten and Bra followed him, each holding a Dragonball.

"No sweat," Goten smiled his best Goku-look-a-like smile.

"Well, there was that dinosaur guarding the last one," Bra spoke up. "That was tricky."

"But you didn't do anything, Bra!" Trunks chided his little sister.

She just stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just jealous that Goten spent the whole time talking to me!"

"No, YOU spent the whole time clinging to HIS arm like a love-sick puppy, and he was nice enough not to hit you with a rolled up newspaper!" Trunks shouted.

Goten just kept smiling, even though his face was turning red.

Bulma plucked the ball from Goten's hand and looked at it. "When Goku and I started out, it would take us weeks to find all of these. Now you kids can do it an afternoon. That's so sad."

"Aw, don't feel bad, Mom," Bra joked. "We're just awesome like that."

"Bulma, Bra, please hurry and place the Dragonballs in the circle," Dende called out to them.

Each one of them took a look at the Dragon God and promptly tossed the balls to Goten and Trunks, who did it instead.

Uub wandered over to observe what was going to happen next.

The group all moved back as far as they could, standing between the Dragon God and the castle. The small Dragonballs lit up softly and slowly, pulsing rhythmically as if in sync with someone's heartbeat.

Dende took a deep breath and prepared for the plunge.

He began a series of mumbled chants that quickly increased in volume as first the Dragonballs, and then the lines on the ground began to glow with an unfamiliar light.

Uub's unique senses could feel strange surges of energy running though the air. He wondered if anyone else felt them. He wished once again that Mr. Buu was here. Ever since he had rescued Uub from himself, the young man had felt a strange and powerful kinship with the Majin. Uub somehow instinctively knew that Buu would also have been able to sense this new energy type.

What did that connection mean? He had spent all day thinking about it.

Dende continued casting his spell to seal away the Dragonballs' power, rendering them useless to their new foe.

The Dragon God himself suddenly cast his face skyward and roared like a wounded beast. Purple energy erupted from his body and blazed into the sky for a moment, before the pillar of light collapsed and the bulk of the visible energy swirled in the Dragonballs.

There was a crack like the sound of thunder, and everyone thought they saw a faint afterimage resembling the Eternal Dragon leaping into the sky, but they couldn't be sure.

When the smoke cleared, everyone looked down to see that the Dragon God was now crouching in the center of the design.

"Look!" Goten started. "The Dragonballs, they've turned black!"

He was right. The red stars that sat in the middle of each Dragonball had all changed to black.

"Wow, that's crazy," Bulma said. "Is that what they were supposed to do?"

"Yes," Dende answered, without taking his eyes off the Dragon God. "That means their power is locked, and cannot be undone by any except myself."

"What is it, Dende?" Uub asked. "You seem distracted."

"The Dragon, he looks… different."

Everyone took a step closer and saw that indeed the Dragon God's body had undergone visible changes.

His skin was now completely green. His pointed ears had changed to small stubs that actually resembled Mr. Buu's own. His natural body armor had disappeared, and the wounds where his wings had been ripped off had completely healed, just without the wings.

"Dang, now he really does look like Piccolo," Pan commented.

The Dragon God suddenly stood up and faced the others.

"Oh, crap!" Pan shouted.

"Uub, kill it!" Bra screamed.

The Dragon quickly raised his hand to try and calm them, and looked down at it confused. "What," he started. "What has happened here? My mind is lost in a haze."

He looked down at the Dragonballs. "I know these, these Dragonballs! It is my sworn duty to protect these orbs and all who possess them."

Noting those around him, the Dragon dropped to his knees again. "I, Pikon, Guardian of the Dragon's Power, do swear to protect you all from harm, so long as you possess the Dragonballs!"

He stood again and looked down at his own naked form. He closed his eyes for a moment and was immediately clothed in flowing white and blue garments, complete with a tall black hat.

Everyone was speechless. Almost.

"Okay, now he REALLY looks like Piccolo," Pan repeated.

"What is this, Dende?" Trunks asked.

"Um, I'm not sure. I was using the Dark Dragon God himself to help seal away the dark power of the balls. Perhaps the process sucked all the dark power out of him as well?" Dende theorized.

"And perhaps that then merged with the restriction and submission spell you had placed about him, my lord," Popo offered.

"Um, excuse me?" Pikon interrupted. "But could someone please remove this Holy Crest on the ground? I do not believe I can move while restricted in its power."

"Maybe it's a trick?" Bulma suggested.

"I think we're about to find out," Pan said pointing, as Pikon took a step out of the ring.

He looked as surprised as anyone. Turning to them, he bowed and asked "Now, how may I serve you?"

"Well," Bulma said to everyone, "you wanna just chalk this one up as one for the good guys?"

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S-Shield's notes

So yes, the Dragon God was supposed to resemble the 4-star Dragon, or Nova Shenron, from Dragon Ball GT. And yes, now that he's good, he's supposed to resemble Pikon, or Paikuhan from DBZ. Pikon easier to type, however. Oh yeah, and black-star Dragonballs.

See, I don't count the movies, or filler arcs, or GT as part of Dragon Ball Continuity, but I love a lot of the designs for original characters like those I've used here. And so part of the fun for me has always been to assume that these guy do exist somewhere in the DBZ world, and then try to give them back stories that actually work with the real stories. I might use more movie and GT characters later.

What do you think? And thanks for reading.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The mystery of Pikon would have to wait.

At least, that was Pan's take on the situation. She was emphatic that they had wasted enough time and that they should just go ahead and pile into that damn spaceship already.

"Grandpa Goku could be in trouble!"

Any attempts to remind her that Goku was actually the strongest being in the universe, and therefore would probably be the one who saved them in the end were not well received.

So then they had to figure out just who was going. Uub, Goten and Trunks were the obvious choices, give their mature ages and high power levels. Uub had defeated a Dragon God already, Trunks could repair almost anything on the ship, and Goten…, well, Goten could fuse with Trunks to make Gotenks.

Pan insisted that she was old enough to join them, despite both her mother and grandmother's disapproval. Surprisingly, it was Bulma who convinced them to let her go.

"But she's only 12 years old!" Chichi screamed.

"14," Bulma reminded her.

"Oh, that doesn't count!"

"Look," Bulma said. "She's about the same age we were when this all started. And she is so much better prepared than us, as well. She's almost as strong as Goku, for goodness's sake."

"I know, but…" Chichi started.

"And what is it Goku always says, huh? The next generation is going to have to learn how to handle these things on their own. We won't always be around to do it for them. I know it's scary, but it's for the best. You think I want to stay here? But these kids have to learn how to stand on their own two feet."

In the end, Chichi and Videl accepted Bulma's point, and gave Pan permission to go.

It was decided that Mr. Buu would stay behind and defend Earth, in case any other Dark Dragons arrived. Mr. Satan promised he too would do his best to defend the Earth.

A few of them clapped. Just to be polite.

So at last, it came time to decide what to do with Pikon.

Pikon insisted that he must follow the Dragonballs wherever they went. He also assured them that despite his fuzzy memory, he still had a vague idea as to what the Dark Dragons were all about, and what their plans were.

Besides, he didn't need to eat or sleep, so he wouldn't be that big a hassle on the ship.

Uub was still leery. But he had to admit that he no longer felt that chilling presence around the Dragon. That sense of impending doom. Uub wanted to talk to Mr. Buu about it, get his opinion. Buu was too busy eating.

And so the time came to set off for their unknown destination, somewhere in the vicinity of the original Planet Namek.

They loaded the food and other supplies, more than they needed Bulma said, as she promised the ship would get them there in less than a day. Trunks didn't want to take any chances.

Dende handed over the now-sealed Dragonballs inside a carved wooden chest. He eyed Pikon suspiciously, still not entire trustful of one whom had exploited his people so badly in the past. But if there was one thing this crowd was good at, it was forgiving villains and offering them a second chance. They had done it for Piccolo, so perhaps Dende could as well.

Goten opened the top of the chest to marvel at the new black stars in the center of each ball. He also tried to avoid Bra and her goodbye kiss as best he could.

Chichi and Videl made Pan swear to be careful. She promised. But the whole time, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about space. And adventure. And fighting alongside her grandpa Goku.

Bulma recognized the smile on Pan's face. She was glad that Chichi and Videl didn't.

Chichi hugged Uub goodbye as well, in place of his own mother. There wasn't enough time for Uub to go back to his native island and tell his parents where he was going. He was sure they wouldn't understand even if he tried.

After giving the ship once last look, Bulma declared her space-worthy.

"Do me a favor, Pan," Bulma said to the girl as they closed the hatch. "As soon as the rockets go off, I want to you shout 'Let's GO!" as loud as you can."

Pan knew that was what Bulma and Goku always shouted before heading off on a new adventure. She promised.

And so they took off, the five of them. Heading for the stars, their loved ones watching and wishing them all the best.

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But they were not the only ones watching.

From a crystal ball, a small being observed the fighters of Earth leaving their home, and he smiled.

"These creatures. They have power to rival the gods, and yet they are so easily manipulated. Hehehe. They will find what they seek, and they will bring me the tools of conquest. Yes, it is a fair trade, indeed."

A small blue hand gripped the orb, turning it slightly as if trying to pick up signals from another area of space. The image now changed to a small, ugly world. Little more than an asteroid, a clump of dirt hanging awkwardly, almost like it didn't belong, in orbit around a mutli-sun star system.

It was here that the scene would continue to play itself out.

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S-Shield's notes

Yeah, short chapter. Like Pan said, I just kind of needed to get everyone out there. Next time, stuff happens, I promise.

Oh, and did you know that the black star Dragonballs are in the manga, sort of. On the covers to the first 7 volumes, the DBs are shown alongside the Eternal Dragon in that long image that spans the spines of the whole series. Those balls all have black stars. Or at least dark blue ones. So I don't feel too bad about using them here.

Not that that would have stopped me anyway.

Thanks for reading, all of you guys. I'm really surprised how many hits I've been getting so keep up the good work and I'll try to do the same.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Three suns! Who would believe it, Pan thought. Three suns!

She stared out the window of the spacecraft at the complex star system below them. They had slowed the ship down as they entered, and Trunks took readings to pinpoint their exact destination.

The trip had been pretty uneventful. Uub didn't talk much, which suited Pan just fine. Trunks calibrated the instruments, and Goten chatted Pikon up like the lovable monkey he was. Goten could get along with anybody.

Bulma had told them that Namek had had three suns, and as such, it was eternally noontime on the planet, which also sported a green sky and blue grass. Pan just couldn't understand how everyone's mouth didn't water in anticipation of seeing such alien worlds.

Of course, the original Namek was long gone. To be honest, they weren't quite sure where they were headed at the moment. But they had their best man working on it…

"Jeez, freaking machine," Trunks cursed. "Remind me to never let Mom build anything we are going to have to use! The interfaces are always so backwards. She short-hands everything, and acts like you're retarded if can't figure it out!"

Trunks sighed heavily with frustration and Pan turned back to the window.

"Nice night, eh?" Pikon said behind her.

"What?" she asked, not expecting the interruption.

"It was a joke," he said without a trace of awkwardness at it not landing. "It was a play on the fact that it always appears to be night in space." He smiled at her.

She couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, that's a good one."

He stood there, his hands folded behind his back, gazing pleasantly out at the universe before them. It was hard to believe that this… _guy_ had once been so bad.

Uub had been credited with defeating Pikon in his original form, but when Pan thought back to that day, and the demonic state in which she found her grandpa's pupil, she couldn't help but wonder if they could trust Uub's story.

His actions, coupled with Pikon's current demeanor, made it almost seem more likely that Uub had been the aggressor that day.

But then, there was all that stuff Dende and the Kais had said. Dragon Gods, end of the universe, etc. She supposed the Kais knew what they were talking about, even if Dende was the only one who had heard them speak on the matter.

"So, you say you are the protector of the Dragonballs?" Pan asked Pikon suddenly.

"Hmm, oh yes," he replied, eager to speak. "I could not tell you how I know this; just that I feel my path is strongly related to those orbs. I am meant to watch over them."

Like everyone else, Pan wasn't sure what to make of Pikon. No one knew how much they should discuss with him about his previous self, in fear that he might somehow return to that form and purpose.

"Well, that's as good an excuse as any," she said, turning back to the stars.

"You should see them in person," Pikon said. "To have soared through space under your own power, it is the greatest feeling in the world. But I don't think I've appreciated that until recently."

"Okay," Trunks interrupted. "I think I have this. Our satellites tracked Goku's Instant Transmission into this sector of space, and I think I've picked up the trail."

He stepped over the main controls and set some new coordinates. The ship rotated slightly and headed for a small asteroid close by.

"That is it," Pikon concurred. "I recognize the place."

Everyone turned to look at him. "Are you sure?" Goten asked.

"Very," he replied, never taking his eyes off the floating chunk of dirt.

"Well, like I said, I've finally got the hand of Mom's inventions," Trunks smiled.

"There's just one problem," Uub spoke up.

"What?"

"I don't feel Goku's chi down there. In fact, I don't feel any chi at all. Not even the Dark Dragons'."

Everyone in the small ship was well-trained with it came to feeling chi power, and they stretched out their senses as hard as they could, searching for any sign of life.

But in the end, they had to agree with Uub's assessment.

"Well, what do we do now?" Goten asked.

"What do you mean?" Pan grunted at him. "We go down there and look for Grandpa. And if he's not there, we look for clues about where he went!"

No one had any better ideas, nor did anyone want to argue with the young girl. So down they went, towards the tiny asteroid.

Trunks made a perfect landing on the alien soil, and began checking for environmental readings. "We need to check the air quality, also the gravity and radiation levels. We can't be too careful," he began as he looked out the window and saw everyone already outside walking around. Trunks fell out of his chair.

"What the hell is wrong with you people!" he screamed at them from the door of the ship, however, the sound was somewhat muffled by the space helmet he was wearing as protection.

Uub walked up behind Pikon. "Anything? Any idea which way we should be going?"

"Yes, indeed," the green man said solemnly. Quickly he rose into the air and flew off towards the horizon.

Uub, Goten and Pan joined him, and Trunks followed soon after, still carrying a ton of equipment and supplies on his back, grumbling about how unprofessional everyone was being.

A large pair of eyes poked out from inside the ship and watched them go.

Soon, they came upon a strange structure. One that called to mind a very large snail's shell, with spikes are various intervals. It was nestled between two small mountains that rested on either side.

Trunks identified the architecture as Namekian in design.

They all came down to rest right outside the massive building.

"It's like a freaking castle!" Pan said breathlessly.

'This structure housed the Keepers," Pikon offered cryptically before entering.

Uub was beginning to get a bad feeling about all this. That sense of cold was entering his body again, freezing his bones and threatening to steal his willpower away.

"What you feeling is the instinctual terror aroused by the Dragon Gods," Pikon said, answering everyone's question before they asked it. "Long ago, the people of the universe learned to fear the Dragons, and that fear has remained inside you ever since. It still clings to this place like an odor."

"Lovely," Trunks murmured.

"Then how come we don't feel it around you?" Uub asked, suspicious.

"Because you have nothing to fear from me. I mean you no harm," Pikon smiled over his shoulder, a smile that emitted genuine warmth.

"Where is everyone?" Goten asked.

"These halls were once filled with Namekians, those that guarded our prison. They are no more."

"You killed them?" Pan started.

"Not directly. When we were freed, they felt our presence, and died of The Fright."

"How did you get free in the first place?" Trunks asked.

Pikon hesitated for a moment, "The answer to that, I do not know."

They continued walking.

"Has this planet always been here?" Uub asked.

"No. It originally existed on the other side of the Universe, but we Dragons brought it here, in search of the original Dragonballs. But Namek was gone. So we spread out, hoping to find a scent of their power. That was what led me to Earth."

"How much exactly do you remember?" Uub asked hesitantly.

"Of our… encounter? Everything."

The group tensed, as if a fight was about to break out.

"But I told you, you have nothing to fear from me. However, I would not hate a friendly rematch one day," he smiled again.

Goten leaned over to Uub, "Hey, I think you've got your own Vegeta. Hehe, and here I though it was always going to be Pan."

"What's that?!" Pan yelled before Pikon raised his hand to stop her.

"I can feel someone in that room," he said, pointing to an open door.

They entered cautiously. Who could it be? Was it a Dragon, or one of their family members? Quietly, the searched around the room. Then suddenly, something leaped from behind a table and tackled Trunks!

Everyone turned to fire chi blasts, but Trunks shouted "STOP!!"

Once everyone got a better look they noticed that it wasn't just one being that had jumped on Trunks, it was two. And both were crying.

"Whaaa! We're not monsters, we're people!" wailed one, while the other couldn't even form words.

It was two young children.

"They're Namekians," Uub said.

"But what's up with their faces?" Goten asked. "They're like yellow, and they've got a seam or something running down their heads."

"These are members of the Lost Race of Namekians," Pikon confirmed. "But how can they still be alive?"

"My name is Oysta, and this is my brother Klam," sniffed one of the children. "Can you please help us?"

Before anyone could say anything, a loud, high-pitched squeal pierced the air, and it sounded like it was getting closer.

"What is that?" Pan asked. "Some kind of hideous monster?"

Just then, the back wall exploded in a shower of plaster and chi energy, and in fell/flew Bra, carrying the chest containing the black-star Dragonballs.

"He's coming, he's coming!" she screamed.

"What the hell!?" Trunks yelled. "Bra what are you doing here?"

"Who's chasing you?" Goten asked.

"The Dragon, that fat one. He's after the Dragonballs!" She turned to Trunks. "You dumbass, you left them on the freaking ship!! Oh, and I'm telling Mom what you said about her inventions!"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a cruel voice echoed from the hole in the wall.

Everyone turned to see a large, green dragon with black spikes all over his body!

"How kind of you to lead me to more prey. Now at last, I may feed!" he smiled.

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S-Shield's notes

Whew, long one this time. Hopefully that should whet your interest and move the story along.

Let's see, just for the record, the new dragon resembles the 2-star dragon, or Haze Shenron, from GT. I just like to make sure you know who to imagine without having to spend all day in the story explaining it.

Oh, and Oysta and Klam's weird appearance. Google the new Dragon Ball Online game, and see what the new Namekians looked like. I don't know if there is any explanation in-game for the change, but I thought it would be cool to tie that into this story.

Thanks for reading.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The outer wall of the Namekian castle exploded as Pikon was slammed through it by his brother dragon.

Righting himself just in time to block a punch, Pikon's only concern was leading this monster away from his new allies, and thereby protecting the Dragonballs.

"So, Nova," the fat dragon smiled, "you have betrayed us?"

"My name is Pikon!" the fighter roared as he leapt at his opponent.

"A weak name, for a weak spirit," the monster smiled a toothy grin as he dodged blows. "Best to put you out of your misery now, before you disgrace us all!"

The Dragon unleashed a series of furious punches to Pikon's head, finishing it off by sending him slamming into the ground far below.

When the dust cleared, the Dragon floated down to the center of the crater where Pikon lay. "Just for the record, my name is still Haze Shenron," the fat dragon said as he knelt down to deliver the finishing punch!

Pikon's hand flashed upwards like a snake and caught his opponent's fist with one hand!

He smiled. "Yeah, and Haze was always the weakest!" Pikon lifted Haze over his head in a wide arc as if to throw him. However, he did not release his grip, and the wicked rotation shattered Haze's arm in several places.

As the fat dragon screamed in agony, Pikon repeated the move, this time completing it by tossing the beast as far away from the castle as he could.

Back inside, Pikon's human companions were still trying to pick themselves up off the ground.

"Bra, how did you get here!?" Trunks shouted.

"I snuck on board the ship before you left, obviously!" she replied. "Keep up! What are you going to do about that thing out there!?"

"It's one of them!" the smaller Namekian boy trembled. "The Dragon Gods, they've returned. We have failed!"

"Calm down," Uub said. "We can handle it."

"But you don't understand," the boy carried on. "Their power is different from normal power, since they're not from this universe. It's impossible for normal fighters to battle them! That's why the Real Gods had to seal them away!"

"Well, that does explain why Gotenks got knocked out in the first round last time," Goten grumbled.

"Look," Trunks spoke up, "we've got to get these Dragonballs out of here! Our friend is a Dragon too, so I think he should do fine. Let's go!"

The two boys gasped in terror. "Another one!?"

"No, he's a good one, I promise," Pan started to say, before she saw what they were really looking at.

Another creature had appeared in the room somehow, a large brownish one with a beak, fins and antennae.

"Evening, my name is Rage Shenron. Please hand over those Dragonballs of yours!"

Pan dove at the Dragon in an attempt to attack.

"No!" Uub shouted too late, as Pan was easily knocked aside by the larger beast. "You can't fight them with normal chi!"

"Hehehe, you noticed that, huh?" the monster smiled. "I'm afraid you are all out of luck."

Uub stepped forward. "I'm afraid not," he said, cracking his knuckles.

Outside, things were not looking very good for Haze Shenron. He had a broken hand and his body was beaten pretty severely.

Pikon brushed some dust off his sleeve. "And to think, you were worried about me embarrassing our clan."

Haze sneered at him. "You think you are so clever? Well, have this!"

Haze reared back and vomited a mountain of black smoke at Pikon, causing him to cough and his eyes to bleed. Dark welts appeared all over his body as he dropped to his knees, deathly sick.

"It's not always the strongest who wins," Haze bellowed with laughter.

Uub wasn't all that concerned about this fight. This Rage Shenron was no equal of Pikon's, to be sure.

But he was concerned about his own mental health. He didn't want to get too worked up. He avoided Rage's electrical attacks with ease, while trying to keep Pan out of the way. She simply refused to buy that she was less than useless in this fight.

"Damn it, Uub," she screamed, "stay back, this is my fight!"

"Pan, you're just killing yourself," he yelled back.

Trunks and Goten ushered the small Namekian children out of the room, while Bra followed, still carrying the Dragonballs in their case.

"Shouldn't we help?" Goten asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Weren't you listening?" Trunks said. "We can't fight them! We have to let Uub handle it!"

"I wish Daddy was here," Bra moaned.

"Yeah, where the hell are our dads?" Trunks wondered aloud. "With our luck they've gone back to Earth."

"Are your fathers the one who traveled with the strange-looking Namekian?" Klam asked.

"Did you see them?" Trunks jumped.

"Yes, Oysta wouldn't let us come out of hiding, but we heard them. They were talking to someone who wasn't there, one of the True Gods. They said they had to go to a place called New Namek!"

"What!?" Goten blurted. "Namek, what the heck?"

"Remember what Pikon said?" Trunks asked. "He said the other Dragons were looking for Namek and the original Dragonballs. Our dads must have gone on ahead to protect it or something. Goku's been there before, so he must have known the way."

"Do we?" Goten asked.

"No," Trunks sighed.

"A pity," a cruel voice said as everyone looked up to see Haze Shenron. "That knowledge might have made you useful, and thus worthy of living another few moments. Unlike your traitorous friend, who's dying outside."

Haze belched a cloud of smoke at them.

Pan was down on the ground. She hated this! It wasn't fair! Just because these guys were from another universe, that shouldn't mean they were unbeatable. She looked up and saw Uub holding his own against that monster and she tried to climb to her feet again. She'd be damned if she was going to let him take out another one of these guys while she just laid here.

But before she could muster the strength to get up, she started coughing furiously. It was then she noticed the smoke.

"Pan!" Uub yelled, turning his back for just a second so that Rage could unleash a torrent of pure electrical energy that shocked the hell out of Uub.

He hit the ground hard, and the monster fired another jolt.

Between clenched eyes, Uub just made out Haze Shenron's form as he entered the room, holding the box of Dragonballs.

"Hehehe, meal's here!" he laughed.

"Ah, this means we can have them all to ourselves. No sharing with the others. You were right to say we should double back and let them do all the work. But look at us now, now we shall rule over the Dragons!"

Rage clamored over to his brother as Haze popped the top of the box.

"Black stars?" he said. "I don't remember the Dragonballs having black stars."

"Aw, who cares," Haze said. "They are from the Earth, they might be inferior. Just as long as they give up their power to us." He reached in and pulled out the two-star ball. He gazed at it for a minute before dropping it down his throat.

Rage followed suit with the five-star ball.

They each stood there for second, as if waiting for the sense of power to kick in.

"I'm not sure these are working," Rage said.

Haze's stomach grumbled and he doubled over in pain, dropping the box and letting the balls spill out. "Something's wrong!" He reached out to his brother for help, who merely backed away, as if Haze's condition were contagious.

It seemed it was. Because Rage began getting sick too.

"What's wrong with these things?" he cried out.

From the floor, Pan laughed. "You idiots, we sealed those balls so you couldn't use them." She stood up, the effects of the Dragon's magic weakening as he did. "Looks like if you actually do eat them, they poison you. Good to know!"

The Dragons exchanged looks of abject terror.

"And what's more," the girl continued. "That sense of dread I was feeling earlier? It's gone now. And more than that, I can actually feel your chi! And I'm not impressed!"

She braced her legs on the ground and began powering up. Uub watched in disbelief. He had never felt this kind of power from Pan before. He couldn't help but wonder if she was about to turn into… But no, she'd never before…

Suddenly it all became clear as her aura flashed red.

"Kaio-Ken… times 20!!!" she screamed as she flew at Rage Shenron, and kicked him so hard in the head that his whole upper body exploded, leaving only his feet.

"Huh," she mused, "too hard!"

Her raging aura subsided a bit as she turned to the other Dragon. He tried to flee out the whole in the wall by which he'd entered. But Pan wouldn't let him. She cupped her hands at the side of her body and called out, "Ka-Me-Ha-Me-HAAA!!!"

The tidal wave of power slammed into the Dragon from behind and broke his body into pieces, sending parts of him flying out into the air.

Uub's blurred vision was clearing as the echoing thunder died down.

He looked up to see Pan bending over to scoop up the five-star ball from the remains of Rage. She caught him looking.

"Now THAT is how you do it!" She smiled at him. Possibly for the first time. "Now, I've got two and you've only got one. I'm winning!"

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S-Shield's notes

Pan rocks, huh? I've never been quite sure where I came down on the whole "Pan as a Super Saiyan" debate. Either way, I figured since I was trying to make this as "canon-friendly" as possible, it probably wasn't up to me to say one way or the other. But I figured there was no reason she couldn't use Kaio-Ken. Seemed like an elegant solution.

Thanks for reading.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Uub picked himself up off the ground, feeling better by the minute now that the effects of Haze Shenron's poison were dissipating, and looked at Pan.

"When did you learn to do the Kaio-Ken?" he asked, still shocked by what he had just seen.

"In the Room of the Spirit and Time, when Bra and I spent two years in there. I was going to use it as my secret weapon at the next Tournament," she smiled.

Trunks and the others began dragging themselves into the room as well, still trying to shake off the poison.

"Where's Pikon?" Pan asked.

"Oh, yeah," Bra rubbed her head," the dragon guy said he was dying outside."

"What, why didn't you help him?!" Pan screamed as she ran past them and flew out the window.

"I thought he was a bad guy?" Bra mumbled.

Uub turned and casually jumped out the hole in the wall through which the Dragons had entered. He began searching the area for the two-star ball, which was inside Haze at the time Pan blew him to pieces.

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Two Dragons. Pan definitely was Goku's granddaughter and Gohan's daughter.

The rivalry between Uub and Pan was always one-sided. Pan hated Uub because Goku had chosen to live with him and his family for several years, essentially abandoning her. Never mind the fact that she could fly around the world by the time she was four and had no trouble sensing Goku's chi. She could have visited.

Honestly, Uub was thrilled to have someone like Pan around. It kept him from needing to freak out to defeat the Dragons, something that he was terrified he might have to do before the end. Pan was helpful.

However, some of that credit had to go to the Dragonballs themselves, for weakening their opponents.

If only they could find a way to work that magic on all the remaining Dragons…

Pan flew straight to Pikon, as she was easily able to sense his chi. He was dusting himself off, but he looked fine.

"I'm glad you made it!" she said to him.

Pikon seemed almost surprised by this. "Well, I'm glad you came through as well. How did you manage to defeat the Dragon?"

"Dragonsss!" Pan corrected him. "I killed two of them!"

"That's simply not possible!" Pikon jumped. "No one has ever killed a Dark Dragon. That is why the Kais had the seal us away. Not even your friend Uub could kill me, and I'm sorry to say that he is much more powerful than you…"

"Well, one, let's just say I boosted my stats a little. And two, they each tried to eat a DB and got sick themselves. It was like they lost all their dark power."

"You don't say…" Pikon wondered as they flew back to the rest of the group.

Returning with the ball a few moments later, Uub saw that Pan and Pikon were both back, safe and sound as well. Uub was surprised just how relieved he was to find Pikon in good health.

The way he had thrown himself at the Dragon to defend them all made it very difficult to fear and suspect Pikon.

"Well," Trunks started. "The kids here say that our dads and Piccolo were here, but that they ran off to New Namek. I'm thinking it was to protect it from the other Dark Dragons, who are looking for the original Dragonballs."

"Unfortunately," Goten spoke up, "we don't know where New Namek is, and even if we did, Gotenks would be less than useless against those dudes and their messed up power."

"Not necessarily," Pikon said. "Pan was telling me that she was able to kill both those Dragons after they ingested the black-star Dragonballs. This is something I could not have anticipated. If we were able to find Namek, we might be able to use the balls to weaken the Dragons' powers, thus giving us a chance to stop them."

"By what?" Pan asked, "Force feeding the DBs to those guys?"

"No, I'm afraid that trick won't work twice," Pikon frowned. "We Dragons are master survivors, and by now all the other Dragons' bodies will have developed anti-bodies to protect them."

"We could try!" Klam spoke up. "We were taught by the Elders how to fight the Dark Dragons. Maybe we could use the Dragonballs as part of a spell to hurt them?"

"That could work!" Oysta said, and the two of them began speaking very fast, sometimes slipping into Namekian, as they debated the best way to get the job done.

"Okay, I think we have a way," Oysta smiled. "But it's going to take more than just the two of us."

"Well, luckily we are heading for a planet filled with Namekians just like you guys," Pan said.

"If we can ever get there," Trunks reminded everyone.

"But there must be some way?" Bra said. "I mean, you guys are always taking to freaking gods, right? One of them has to know the way."

"Hey, she's right!" Goten said. "We could call King Kai or somebody, and have them give us directions!"

"_That won't be necessary,"_ a voice spoke in all their heads.

"Whoa, what was that?" Bra stuttered.

"The Voice of God!" Oysta and Klam both said as they fell to the ground and started bowing.

Uub flinched at the sound of the voice in his head. It was the same reaction he and Mr. Buu had had when Dende had spoken using words from the Kai's native language. Something about god-speak really bothered Uub, he just didn't know why.

"_Yes, it is I, Kaio-Shin_," the voice continued. _"The girl is right, I can tell you all how to reach New Namek." _

"That's great!" Pan said. "Can you teleport us there?"

"_No, like you were told before, if I enter your world, I would attract the Dragon Gods. But I can give you the coordinates to put into your ship to get you there." _

"Well, I suppose that's the next best thing," Trunks said.

"_It is imperative that you get those children to Namek, so that the Dark Dragon's power can be defeated at last." _

"Well, you heard the man," Goten smiled, eager to get off this asteroid. "Let's hit the ship!"

They gathered the Dragonballs off the floor and returned them to their case. The eight then set out, heading for their space ship, the two young Namekians dancing out in front, happy to be on an adventure.

"I'm so excited!" Bra said as she hung on Goten's arm. "Now I don't have to hide in the escape hatch!"

"Why did you hide anyway?" Trunks asked. "Mom would have let you go. Heck, she would have been thrilled you showed an interest."

"I dunno, it's more fun to sneak in," she smiled.

Uub glanced over at Pikon, "Are you alright, you seem preoccupied?"

"This all seems a little too easy, doesn't it?" Pikon asked. "I mean, how lucky are we that those Dragons were still here, or that these two children overheard your friend's conversation? I'm not sure about all this."

"Oh, perk up!" Pan chided. She was in a much better mood now that she had killed something. "Our life really does just work out like this. We're lucky. Don't fight it."

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On a small world floating in the pink space of heaven, a small blue creature watched the party on his crystal ball.

"That Dragon will be a problem," he said. "He was never meant to survive the spell I devised to seal the Dragonballs. He is powerful and he suspects too much. He is a wild card. And yet, I can not kill him if he might protect these Earthlings a bit longer."

He sneered. "Besides, he can always be dealt with later."

Turning to his left, he gazed over at his prisoners, and he almost felt some pity for them. He pulled back his hood, revealing a shock of white hair, styled in a mohawk, like all his clan.

He stared at the Elder Kaio-Shin and Kibitokai as they floated helplessly a few feet away, as if frozen in time.

"My kin do not despair. For I shall return glory our people, the Kaio-Shins. I will make our power supreme in the universe once more."

Looking down at his crystal ball again, "And those foolish Earthlings will help me!"

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S-Shield

Yes, the bad guy is an evil Kaio-Shin. And that was him talking to our heroes earlier. Cue shocking music.

Been a while huh? My sister as recently started writing her own story, and I've been helping her out with it these last few nights, so I didn't have time for my own work. But I'm back, and interesting stuff happens next time, I promise.

Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

As the trip to New Namek continued, the young Namekian children, Oysta and Klam, told their new traveling companions the history of the Dragon Gods, most of which they already knew. They told of how their people had split off from their ancestors, leaving their home to guard the Dragon's tomb, hidden in the bowls of a black hole. They told of how, for centuries and millennia, generations of their people had performed this task, and of how, mysteriously, the members of their clan had stopped giving birth just a few short years before the Escape.

"We were the last born," Oysta said. "And now we are the last survivors."

"Hey, now," Pan put a warm hand on his shoulder. "What happened to your high spirits? Just a little while ago you were happy-go-lucky?"

"I know," he replied. "But that was right after having been found and saved. We were just glad to be alive. But now the gravity of the situation is starting to set in. We must defeat the remaining Dragons. And even though we were trained from birth for this task, the fate of the universe rests on our shoulders, and that is a heavy burden to bear, right Klam?" he looked to his brother.

"And then that was so cool when the guy with the thing hit the other guy and the girl did that whoosh-power blast and the guy blew up! Wasn't that cool!?" Klam was talking to Goten and Bra, waving his arms wildly and he mimicked the fighting he had seen earlier.

Oysta fell out of his chair.

"Will you please take this more SERIOUSLY!!?" Oysta screamed in his brother's ear.

"Ow," Klam rubbed his ear. "Come on, it'll all be okay. Didn't you see how strong these guys are? Don't worry."

"That is probably what released the Dragon Gods from their prison…" Pikon muttered to himself.

"What!?" Klam jumped, worried that this was all his fault.

"Hm? Oh, no. Not that. I was referring to what your brother said a moment ago about the members of your clan being unable to reproduce. Without fresh spirit energy to keep the bonds in place, it would have been very easy for the Dragons to escape."

"But why did they stop having children in the first place?" Trunks asked, trying to piece everything together.

"That I do not know. How is it you two came to be born?"

"We don't know," Klam said. "Father said he had to pray and fast for some time before finally laying a golden egg, which we both hatched out of."

"You guys are twins?" Goten started.

"So what?" Bra asked.

"You guys probably don't know, but Gohan and I spent a ton of time with Dende and Piccolo growing up, and we learned a lot about Namekians. You know Gohan, he loved learning things, even on vacation. But Dende said that it was really rare for two Namekians to come from one egg. He said it was always treated as a sign or something. A message from the gods," Goten said. "And he never mentioned anything about golden eggs."

"Well, they do look different than Dende and Piccolo," Uub pointed out. "The faces and the… um, seam in the middle of their heads."

"That's probably to do with evolution," Trunks explained. "The two populations split so long ago, there were bound to be some differences."

"Well, then I wonder if the Namekians we are after will be able to work with these kids," Pan said. "Or maybe they've lost that power."

"No, it shouldn't be a problem," Oysta said, "We will conduct the spell. Just so long as they are pure Namekians, we only need their spiritual power to boost ours."

"It would be great if you didn't actually have to fight, right Uub?" Trunks asked.

"Um, yeah, I guess," Uub replied, not quite sure what Trunks was getting at.

"I just mean that as it stands right now, you are the only person who can put a dent in these guys," Trunks said.

"Hey, I killed two, remember?" Pan reminded everyone.

"I know," Trunks sighed, "but like I said, that wasn't normal. So if this spell doesn't work, it'll all be up to Uub again."

"That reminds me," Pan turned, suddenly ticked thanks to Trunks' comments, "that thing you turned into when you fought Pikon, what the hell was that?"

Uub looked at her, not sure how to respond. "I don't really know."

"Well, I sure wish you'd find out. Me and Goten and Trunks had a heck of a time getting that genie back in the bottle. Trunks said you must have turned into Majin Buu or something."

Everyone turned to Trunks now, expecting him to have all the answers. "All I said was Uub's actions reminded me of Buu."

"Yeah, but come to think of it, it was Mr. Buu who had to put you down!" Pan squawked.

"Look, I don't know what the connection is, if there is any. Goku never said anything about Buu," Uub said.

"Who is this Majin Buu?" Pikon asked.

"A monster," Trunks answered. "A djinn, conjured up by a wizard named Bibbi-Dee. Apparently he killed a bunch of Kaio-Shins long ago and had to be sealed on Earth. Bibbi-Dee's son released him a few years ago, and our dads had to kill him. His good side, Mr. Buu, is still alive."

Pikon took all this in for a moment. "I had heard of the wizard Bibbi-Dee. He was famous and feared amongst the creatures of the universe even in my time." He turned and stared at Uub, as if examining him.

After a few long minutes he spoke again. "Yes, there is something magical about you. I felt it the first time we fought; you alone had the power to injure me. That is because your power is not like the others from this universe. You come from outside it, like us!"

Suddenly, before Uub or anyone could react, a tremendous explosion rocked the ship.

Trunks ran to the console, "We're here!" he said. "The coordinates the Kai gave us. New Namek!"

Another explosion.

"What the hell is that?"

They all looked and saw bursts of light all along the surface of the planet.

"They're fighting down there!" Goten shouted.

"The Dragons must have found this world!" Oysta screamed.

"What's that now?" Pan pointed.

A large bubble of power formed on the planet and slowly began extending out into space, heading directly for the ship.

"Their blasts are going out into space, and that one's about to hit us!" Trunks yelled. "And I can't change the coordinates to shift our position."

"None of us can fly in space!" Goten shouted. "What are we going to do?"

Quickly, Pikon motioned for everyone to stand away from him. He closed his eyes and suddenly disappeared.

Outside the ship, everyone saw him suddenly blink back into existence, flying between the ship and the beam of energy heading right for it.

"Pikon!" Pan screamed.

The Dragon soared ahead of them and plowed directly into the oncoming attack, curving the path of the blast away from the ship with all his might.

The ship barely managed to skirt alongside the wave of power and began to fall through the atmosphere, to the planet surface below.

"Where did he go?" Pan cried out, worried more about Pikon than herself.

"I'm trying to get control of this thing!" Trunks screamed from the controls, as he managed to make an ungraceful landing on the ground, damaging the ship beyond repair, but somehow managing to keep everyone alive.

They all crawled out, desperate for steady ground under their feet.

"Well, we made it!" Trunks said sarcastically.

He was quickly blown forward by the force of another explosion behind him. He looked up just in time to see his father, Vegeta, battling against one of the Dragons!

"Dad!"

Everyone turned as they shot past, oblivious to all except their combat. Trunks took off after them.

Uub sensed something. He struggled to find Goku's chi somewhere on the planet. And he did, it flared up in a way that could only mean Goku was in his Super Saiyan 3 form.

But something was wrong. The power was unsteady, weak, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Goku was losing.

Uub abandoned the others and shot after Goku as fast as his supposedly otherworldly power would carry him.

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S-Shield's notes

Back again and now the real battle starts.

Thanks for reading.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Trunks flew after his father as fast as he could, transforming into a Super Saiyan along to way to boost his speed.

Still, he had trouble keeping up.

Vegeta and his opponent, a fiercely ugly Dragon with dark bluish-green skin, traded blows as they sailed over the Namekian landscape.

"Hehehe, you are having some trouble," the Dragon smiled.

"Shut up!" Vegeta roared. "You and your strange power, you can both go to Hell!"

"Ha, what would you know of Hell, little man?"

"I've been there, and I was so evil they kicked me out. I made the demons cry for mercy, just like I'm about to do to you!" Vegeta's fist shot towards the Dragon's chin, only to be stopped at the last second by some invisible force. "What is this!?"

"The wind," the dragon sneered. "I command the very air itself, and the water. I am Oceanus Shenron!" And with that, Oceanus sent several small wind tunnels at Vegeta, in an attempt to rip his arms and legs from his torso.

Vegeta struggled to keep his body in one piece, and managed to dissipate the winds with a yell of fury.

"Yeah? Well, I'm Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans, and you will have to do better than that," he smiled wickedly.

"Dad!" Trunks called out as he finally caught up.

"Trunks, what are you doing here!?"

"We've been following you guys since you left Earth. Look, you can't defeat this guy, his power is from outside our universe, and your energy attacks won't budge him."

"You think I don't know that?" Vegeta questioned. "I've been fighting him for hours. But his body is still a physical thing, son. And that means it can break just like any other!"

"No, Dad, listen. We've brought some kids who can help. They're Namekians; they can cast a spell that will make the Dragon's killable!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go help them!"

"But I can't. I mean, I have to help you."

"I don't need your help! This is a one-on-one fight. Don't forget your Saiyan Pride!" Vegeta glared at his son.

Trunks looked stung. It was always like this with his father.

But then Vegeta smiled a little. "I know you want to help, Trunks. But I can still fight on my own. Right now you need to protect those children of yours. You don't understand, they got -"

Before he could finish, another blast of wind slammed into him from behind.

"Arrgh! You strike when my back it turned?!" Vegeta roared, launching himself at the Dragon. "You are dead, you ugly son of a bitch!"

"I'm a female!" the Dragon screamed, offended.

"What!?"

"Dad, what was that you were saying?" Trunks called, but he got no answer. His father was to intent on the fight.

Trunks took one last look over his shoulder, and then flew back the way he came.

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Goten, Bra, Oysta and Klam flew as fast as they could away from the fighting.

"I feel some Namekian chi this way," Goten said from the lead. "I just hope they can help us!"

"Why am I carrying the Dragonballs?" Bra screamed over the rush of wind.

"Because you were closest to them!" Goten answered. "Can you guys fly any faster?"

"Hey, I'm really fast for someone who doesn't do any fighting," Bra informed him. "And maybe I'd be a little quicker if I didn't have a FREAKING HEAVY BOX in my hands!"

Goten sighed. He was really getting tired of Bra's voice.

Suddenly, Goten caught a quick flash of movement in the air ahead of them. He stopped the group just before someone materialized out of thin air.

It was Gohan.

"Thank god," Goten said. "It's just you."

Gohan smiled aggressively. "Yes, it's just me. What have you got there?"

"These are the Dragonballs," Goten said. "We've got a plan use them to defeat the Dragons, but we need to find some Namekians to get it to work."

"Oh really?" Gohan asked. "That is interesting."

"Hey, where's Piccolo?" Goten asked. "I figured you guys would be together."

"Who?"

Goten stared. "Piccolo! Mr. Piccolo, your teacher and best friend."

"Oh, the Namekian from Earth. I disposed of him some time ago," Gohan smiled as he raised his hand to his brother.

Realizing just a second too late what was happening, Goten turned to the others, "Run!"

Gohan released a fiery blast of power that seared the air before him.

When the dust cleared, Goten was still standing, blocking Bra and the others with his own damaged body, which he'd upped to Super Saiyan form.

"You're not Gohan!" Goten raged.

"Oh yes I am. But I am also Naturon Shenron! And I will be taking those balls!" Gohan's eyes glowed an unearthly color.

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Uub had traveled several miles before he noticed the chi behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Pan, her body swathed in the red aura of Kaio-Ken, trailing behind him.

"He's my grandpa, too!" Pan yelled when she saw him looking.

He didn't feel the need to argue. She must have sensed how weak Goku was too.

They carried on until they saw him in the distance. He was indeed in his SS3 form, his blonde hair hanging down to his knees, his body surrounded in both a golden aura and chain lightning.

He was the most powerful being in existence, and he was losing to the head of the Dragons.

Uub didn't know how he knew that this creature was their leader. Perhaps it was simply the fact that Goku was fighting him, and so he must be the biggest and strongest. But there was something else, Uub sense, deep in his mind he knew this monster for what he was.

He was certainly a sight to behold. His armored body was bone-white, with several spikes and horns protruding from various joints.

For the first time since his battle with Pikon, Uub felt the Cold. That sense of hopelessness and fear.

He didn't let it stop him.

As if sensing their approach, Goku turned towards them. He waving his hand and tried to tell them to go back.

"Not a chance!" both Uub and Pan shouted as one.

Uub blew past Goku and body slammed the Dragon, taking him by complete surprise. He wasn't expecting to be hurt, Uub thought, so better make this count.

Uub unleashed a fury of blows that all connected and did damage to the beast. Finishing off with a devastating Kamehameha to the face that sent the Dragon sprawling for miles, landing finally in the ocean.

Goku stared at him with his mouth open for a minute. "Um… what?"

"These guys are from outside our universe and everybody else's chi does nothing against them and I'm the only one who can hurt them for some reason!" Uub shouted in one breath.

"Do what?" Goku started. "The Kais didn't tell us anything about that! What a rip-off!"

"Don't worry," Uub said. "We've got a plan. But in the meantime I can hold this guy off!'

"I dunno about that, Uub," Goku worried. "I don't want you to get too carried away."

"It's okay; I already fought one of these guys and raised my power level, so I might not need to go too much higher for this one."

"I killed two of them!" Pan said.

"What!?" Goku's mouth dropped.

Unexpectedly, a beam of energy knifed up through the water, and struck Pan right through the heart.

She hung in the sky for a moment, too shocked to react. Then she began to fall out of the sky.

"PAN!!!" Uub screamed in terror and rage, the chains that bound his inner monster quickly coming undone.

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S-Shield's notes

Got to see the main guys again, huh? Not bad.

Yes, I changed Naturon Shenron's power from absorption to body-possession. I didn't think anyone would care.

Thanks for reading.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Goten stood before his brother and silently ran down the list of all the reasons why he would have rather fought anyone else.

Primarily, his concern stemmed from the fact that Gohan, now being a "Mystic" creature, whatever that meant, had powers that rivaled those of their father Goku in his ultimate form, Super Saiyan 3. And whatever disparity existed between their strength was more than made up for with the fact that being Super Saiyan 3 ate up a ton of stamina and could only be maintained for a short time, while Mystic Gohan had no such demands on his body. He could fight all day and not get tired.

Meanwhile, Goten could only manage Super Saiyan 1 on his own. It was times like this that Goten wished he had listened to his father and trained more. It's not like it would have been hard for him. He'd achieved SS1 younger than anyone in history. He'd been coasting on that fact his whole life. That and his ability to master fusion and achieve SS3.

But for that, he would need Trunks.

"Give me those Dragon Balls," the possessed Gohan sneered.

"Give me back my brother," Goten replied.

"Dude," Bra whispered to him, "why don't we just give him the balls and let him get sick?"

"Because they've evolved beyond that, remember?" Goten replied. "Plus, even if it did work, I don't want to hurt Gohan."

"I don't think you have much choice!" the Dragon shouted as he quickly rushed Goten and the others.

Goten tried to block his path to the Dragonballs, and received a fist in his stomach for his troubles.

"Stop this Gohan! You can fight this!" the young man reasoned.

"No, he really can't. He's all mine, now!"

The Dragon began striking Goten over and over in an attempt to push the younger man aside and take the Dragonballs.

While the pain was quite real, Goten couldn't help but wonder at the relative ease with which he survived the attacks. One punch from Mystic Gohan and Goten's head should have popped off!

And yet, here he was, still living.

It seemed the Dragon noticed this as well.

"Fine," he growled, an action that didn't suit Gohan's voice. "If you wish to make this difficult, then I shall just shatter you and your companions all at once and collect the balls from amid your scattered remains!"

He reared back and prepared to deliver a killing energy blast!

On instinct, Goten did the same thing.

The sound of thunder echoed throughout as the two waves crashed into each other and then dissipated.

Goten was stunned. "How did I do that?"

Suddenly, a screw-shaped beam of energy tore through Gohan's shoulder, leaving a gaping wound and rendering his left arm useless.

"You survived because this Dragon is a fool!" a familiar voice growled above them.

They all looked up to see Piccolo, his body torn and bloody, but still in one piece.

"Gohan's power was released by the Elder Supreme Kai!" Piccolo informed them. "So this Dragon cannot use it fully, as his own power clashes naturally with that of the Kais!"

"Piccolo!" Goten screamed. "I'm so glad to see you, but did you really have to blow Gohan's arm off? It won't grow back like yours you know!"

Piccolo shot him a severe look. "You are carrying with you two young Namekians that are emitting a strong magical presence. I believe it's safe to say that they can heal him after we've forced that dragon scum out!"

Goten felt like he'd just been yelled at by his mother.

"Filthy Namekian!" the dragon raged. "I will gut you for this!!"

The dragon reared back his good hand in an attempt to fire another finishing move, but the fight was suddenly stopped by a terrifying explosion of chi not too far away.

Those who knew him knew that this was Uub's power. But they also recognized the overwhelming presence of Majin Buu, tainted with the scent of murderous intent.

Goten wondered what could make gentle Uub so angry that he'd unleash this much killing force. He suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he remembered that they had sealed away the Dragonballs' power, possibly forever, and he hoped that everyone was still alive.

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S-Shield's notes

Short chapter. But hopefully a good one. Thanks.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Goku watched his granddaughter fall lifelessly towards the ground below him.

To his side, the invincible Dragon God that had impaled her on a beam of energy was rising out of the ocean.

And above him, his pupil, the only being potentially in the universe with the ability to fight this monster hovered, his mind slowly eroding away as his power grew by leaps and bounds.

And Goku made his decision.

He was not a coward, but he was not a stupid man either. While he desperately wanted to continue his fight again the leader of the Dragon Gods, not only to avenge Pan but for his own honor, he knew better. He refused to simply and futilely slam his head against a wall with no hope of victory.

Uub was best suited for this task. Better to unleash Uub now, let him finish this, and pray there was a way to restore his sanity later.

Besides, Goku was always saying how eager he was for the next generation to step up and begin saving the world on their own. He just never wanted it to go down like this.

All this took Goku less than two seconds to reason out. Despite what people might think, he was not a stupid man.

Quickly he flashed down and caught Pan's limp body before it hit the ground. He didn't even look back as he turned and flew in the direction of the nearest Namekian settlement. There would be a healer there.

Unfortunately, he knew in his heart that there was no one who could heal what Uub was about to go through. However, he smiled, there was also no one who would be able to heal what Uub was about to do to the Dragon God.

"I am Syn Shenron," the Dragon quietly and calmly informed Uub as he rose out of the ocean. "I am the God of All Dragons. My power knows no limits, and my rage, no end. You have harmed me, and for that I congratulate you. My power is such that men and worlds have trembled at the very mention of my name, for I have shattered many of both in my time. And here, today, you shall see the full extent of my reputation first hand."

Syn finished his speech, confident that he had adequately presented himself to this creature he was about to kill.

He felt a slight pressure on his shoulder as Uub suddenly appeared right in front of him and ripped his arm out of its socket.

The Dragon God screamed in pain, a feeling to which he was unaccustomed. He stared down at the bloody stump and tried to reconcile this fact with his personal view of the universe, namely that he was God, and therefore indestructible.

"You, you… how," was all he could muster.

Uub glared at him, his face expressionless. It was different this time, he knew. This was not like his last fight with a Dragon God, where he lost his mind in the simple frenzy of combat. This was something else. Uub could still think.

The only difference he could find was that last time, he was angry at himself. He was afraid that he was too weak to save the Earth, the one thing he had trained for all these years. But now, he was mad at someone else. That rage was focused outwardly. And that was a good thing.

The Dragons' bizarre power, which had stymied the greatest fighters in the universe, was less than useless against Uub.

And now, not only did he have the power, but he also had his greatest asset. He still had his mind.

All he had to do was keep his composure, and everything would be alright. He could win the day and he wouldn't have to sacrifice his soul. All he had to do was stay in control.

Uub's expression changed. He smiled wickedly.

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"Bra," Goten hollered over his shoulder. "You need to take the kids and the Dragonballs to the nearest Namekian village!"

"What, why do I have to do it?"

"Because you are the only one who can," he shouted, keeping one eye on his brother Gohan. "Now hurry!"

"Okay, fine!" she barked. "But you owe me! Come on," she yelled at the Namekian boys as they flew off.

"Did you see that Namekian?" Klam asked Oysta, speaking of Piccolo. "I've never seen anyone so tough looking. He was so cool. I'm going to grow up to be just like him!"

Oysta had to agree. They had both grown up on a world of elderly Namekians, old wizards and scholars. Neither had ever seen one of their kind so young and strong. So that was a Warrior. Suddenly, growing older didn't seem so bad.

Bra, with her limited chi, was still able to sense and distinguish Namekian chi from all the others around them, and was quickly able to lead the boys to a near-by village.

While they were startled to at the appearance of these two young Namekians, they wasted no time asking questions, as they were well aware of the severity of the situation.

The boys began explaining their plan to use the black-star Dragonballs to rob the Dragon Gods of their power.

Quickly, preparations were made as all those present gathered around to aid in the ritual.

Bra stood at the edge of activity, trying to figure out what was going on outside by feeling chi.

The balls were laid out in the proper arrangement and the spell began.

The boys spoke in their native tongue words that even the elders present had never heard, and the Dragonballs began to throb with their unusual new glow.

A chill ran down Bra's spine, she thought perhaps some of the dark energy used must have passed through her just then. Yes, she had paid attention.

Suddenly, she was almost knocked over by the force of the chi that now approached. She feared for a moment that it might be one of the bad guys, before recognizing that it was only Goku.

He landed near her and, to her horror; she saw what he carried in his arms. Pan's limp body.

"I need a healer quick!"

"But we can't, Son Goku!" one of the elders cried. "We cannot break from this circle or the spell will go awry!"

"What spell?" he asked. "What going on!"

"They're doing something to stop the Dragons," Bra told him.

"But she'll die," Goku stuttered, suddenly at a loss as to what to do next. There wasn't enough time to go to another village. Pan didn't have long…

Klam looked over at his friend, Pan. She had been nice to him. Her and that other dragon, Pikon. They had taken a shine to Klam and his brother.

Now the dragon might be dead in space, or he surely would be after the spell was completed.

He couldn't let her die!

Klam ran towards the Earthlings, breaking the spell in mid-cast.

"NO! Klam, what are you doing!" Oysta screamed as he tried to repair the damage.

Klam laid his hands on Pan and began to heal her wounds. "I'm so sorry!" he yelled.

The spell had been altered, Oysta knew. Something had gone wrong. He could feel it coming frayed at the ends, and he did his best to hold it together.

There was a terrifying crashing sound as the spell completed, such as it was. Suddenly, the Dragonballs rose into the air, and as one body, flew in the direction Goku had just come from, carrying massive amounts of dark energy.

Carrying it right into Syn Shenron's waiting arms.

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S-Shield's Notes

Whew, that covered a lot of ground. Things are about to get messy. Thanks for reading.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Oceanus Shenron chuckled over her prey. "Stupid little man," she laughed, "so eager to throw yourself at death!"

Vegeta looked up through swollen eyes and spat out blood. "You're not truly alive unless you are staring death in the face."

"Oh, philosophy from the ragged brute? Very surprising. But I've had enough of your company. It is time to end this."

Slowly Vegeta became aware of the change in the air pressure, surely his opponent's doing. She was about to try and rip him to shreds again. This time it might actually work.

Just then, the Saiyan prince felt the tiniest shift in the Dragon's spiritual power. He smiled.

"Any last words?" she asked.

"Oh yes," he said. "And they are grand. But it'll be years before I speak them aloud, and unfortunately, you won't be alive to hear them."

"What?" the Dragon said before her back exploded. She looked down to see Vegeta's arm buried deep in her stomach, and she knew his fist was protruding behind her.

"How?" she muttered as Vegeta released himself.

"Whatever spell it was that was keeping my attacks from reaching you is gone, just as my son promised. I knew he wouldn't let me down."

Vegeta cupped his hands together before Oceanus Shenron's face and shouted "FINAL FLASH!!" unleashing a hellish swirl of power that erased the Dragon from existence.

Without a second glance, Vegeta turned and flew in the direction Trunks had headed.

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"Ah-ah-ah," Gohan breathed as his nose twitched comically, "-CHOO!" he sneezed at last, knocking the Dragon that possessed him out of his body unexpectedly.

Goten and Piccolo were shocked to see Naturon Shenron in his true form, that of a small mole-looking creature.

"Ha, no wonder you steal other people's bodies!" Goten laughed.

Naturon's eyes darted back and forth between the three fighters that now faced him, even though Gohan was still a little confused as to what was going on.

"Goten," he asked. "When did you get here?" He looked down at the hole in his shoulder, "And what the heck happened to my arm!"

"The Dragon has lost his dark power," Piccolo proclaimed. "Now let's see just how tough he is!"

Naturon stood there for a second, as if intent on continuing the fight, before turning and running away as fast as he could!

"Hey, get back here!" Goten shouted as he took off after him.

"Quick, Gohan, we have to follow them!" Piccolo shouted.

"No, seriously, what happened to my arm!"

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Syn Shenron stared into the eyes of his executioner. This dark boy with the hair of a Kai. How could this be?

"What are you!?" he demanded to know.

When Uub opened his mouth to speak, he found his voice strangely different, as if he had broken glass in his mouth.

"My name is Uub, and …" was all he could muster.

They stood on the floor of the ocean, their battle having carried them this far. The water was kept at bay by the shear magnitude of their spiritual pressure. In addition to his missing arm, Syn also had several of his horns snapped off, and his left leg hung at a strange angle. He was covered in a thick black substance that must have been blood.

Uub was unmarred. At least on the outside. But the longer this fight went on, the more he could feel his mind bending under the weight of his own power.

"So this is the end, huh?" the Dragon sniffed. "Done in by a nameless whelp. How undignified. What are you, boy? You never answered me, are you a Kai?"

"No…"

"Bah! I wouldn't be surprised. We came here, travelers from another universe, one that had been scorched of all life, seeking only a home. These Namekians found us, and worshipped us as gods. We did not see the need to correct them.

"Then those damn Kais, they came to us and told us to leave this world. That we were not compatible. That our very presence warped reality. But they did not tell us where to go. There was nowhere else to go. So we fought. We became hard, and strong.

"And the Kais, they had not the strength to kill us, so they used our people, the Namekians. They used them to forge the Dragonballs and used them to seal us away!"

Uub started. In the dim recesses of his mind, he remembered the story told a different way, in which the Kais sealed away the Dragons first and then HAD to create the Dragonballs to contain their power. Which was it?

Uub's mind was getting confused, more and more by the minute. No, he shook his head, don't ask questions. Just get the job done! Kill this creature… before you become just like him!

Uub put his hands at his side, "KA-ME-HA-"

The Dragon leaned his head back, as if accepting his fate.

Then, something happened, a light appeared. It looked as if a black sun was rising in the west!

Both Uub and the Dragon stood, dumbfounded at this occurrence.

The strange energy blazed past Uub and struck the Dragon with a tremendous force, which blew even Uub back quite a bit.

By the time Uub had righted himself and flew back to the battlefield, something had changed.

Syn's arm had regrown, along with his horns, which were now joined by several others. He looked thicker and stronger. But the biggest change was that, spread out around his chest and stomach now resided all seven of the black-star Dragonballs!

"At last," he breathed. "My power is restored!! I am the Omega Shenron once more!"

Omega spotted Uub in the sky, and he smiled. He slammed into the young man so fast, Uub didn't even see him move.

The Dragon opened his palm before Uub and released and invisible attack that shattered Uub, sent him sprawling for miles, only to come to rest in a huge crater his impact created.

Uub coughed up blood. He had never been hit that hard by anyone. And even though he could feel his body quickly healing the damage, he knew instinctively that he couldn't survive too many more of those!

"Gah, pitiful," a new voice sighed above him. "I spend all this time and energy getting you all here, and this is what you do? You allow him to resume his true form! Idiots!"

Uub looked up and saw a strange looking man. He was short, and had bluish skin. But atop his head was a stark white mohawk.

This man was a Kaio-shin. But not one Uub had ever seen before.

"I suppose if I want this done right, I will have to turn the odds to my favor once again!"

He reached down and touched Uub on the forehead.

Uub felt his mind explode. His brain fried and his skin crawled. But he remembered now. He remembered his true name.

"Majin Buu."

"Yes, my pawn. Now go, kill that Dragon and everyone else on this miserable world!"

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S-Shield's notes

The tables turn a few times.

As for this new Kaio-Shin, he's an original character, and not from any of the movies or filler. I kind of see him as Emperor Pilaf or Garlic J.R. with a mohawk. You can see him however you want. That's your right.

Thanks for reading.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Uub remembered.

He remembered that he was created from nothing, born out of wind and flame and darkness.

He was given an animal's lust for violence. Death made him happy.

He was given power beyond measure, and his form was such that striking him was like striking the air or the water.

He was a force of nature, made solid and given substance.

He had no mind, no reasoning beyond that of instinct. He did not need to think.

And there is no greater joy than to be relieved of the burden of thinking for yourself.

He had a master, and all was not good. There were times when his master locked him away in darkness.

But when he was in the light, all was good.

But then the fat one came, and cooled his hot blood. The others came, lending their power but also giving him something else. A mind.

Maybe even a soul.

He died. He died in battle like always, but this time was different. Oh, he still regenerated, but this was indeed different. He came back, like he always did.

He came back disguised as those that had slain him. He had thought himself a man. But in truth, he was merely locked away in darkness, again.

Now he was free. And life was good.

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Omega Shenron was certainly concerned about the explosion of chi nearby, but he refused to let it worry him. He was too busy admiring his new form.

A small sound behind him made him turn, and he saw Naturon Shenron approach, followed by two Saiyans and a Namek.

"My lord, we are undone!" he screeched.

Omega laughed. "Far from it, brother. I have restored myself, and at last achieved godhood!"

Naturon eyed the black-star Dragonballs lodged into his leader's torso.

"Could, um, could I have one of those?"

Omega seemed surprised by the question, and reached down to touch them, finding his new additions secured firmly in place.

"I am afraid not, they seem to have bonded with me. But fear not, for as long as you stand with me, none shall harm you. Besides," he sneered, "I shall require someone left to worship me if we are forced to kill everyone in this universe!"

Gohan, Goten and Piccolo stopped near the pair and gazed at Omega's new form.

"Syn Shenron…" Piccolo breathed.

"No other," the Dragon smiled. "Now bow to your master, Namekian! As is your place!"

Piccolo spat. "I have no master, certainly not one as pathetic as yourself!"

"Then die!" Omega shouted as he attacked.

Gohan blocked his first strike with his one good hand, and then returned a kick to the head that sent the dragon sprawling.

"Hey, that worked!" Gohan shouted.

"Yes," Piccolo confirmed. "He has lost the protection of his dark power, but his natural chi is still considerable in this form. He can be hit, but we still have to be strong enough to actually do damage."

"Then allow us to try!" Vegeta shouted as he and Trunks zoomed into view.

Goku and a freshly healed Pan also blipped into existence via Instant Transmission.

Omega stared at the fighters surrounding him, while Naturon hid behind him, peering out over his shoulder.

"Hm, so you all will stand against me?" Omega asked.

"I'm afraid so," Goku confirmed. "You're too powerful and evil to be left on your own. And now we can actually do something about that!"

"Then come, Saiyan, and see the face of Death!"

Everyone powered up, fusing and leveling up as high as they could. It was unclear who was going to make the first strike, but it seemed clear that everyone was going to need to pitch in to take this monster down.

A high-pitched scream above the group pulled everyone out of their preparations.

They all looked above and saw Uub, glaring like a madman sick with glee.

Uub's scream caused the whole planet to tremble.

Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, everyone felt his rage and power. And those who knew recognized Buu.

Only one thought consumed Uub as his scream turned into a grotesque laugh. The Dragon!

Uub raised his hands above his head and released an enormous orb of destruction that threatened to engulf the whole planet!

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S-Shield's notes

Good guys vs the Dragon, and then Uub vs everyone.

I'm betting that next chapter everyone dies.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Of all those present, only Goku and Vegeta knew for certain what was happening.

Gotenks had his suspicions, and Pan was more than familiar with Uub's present condition despite not having fought Majin Buu personally.

Everyone else was clueless.

Above him, Uub held a chi-blast so powerful it could destroy the entire planet, but his eyes were only on one person. Omega Shenron.

Everyone else would just be a bonus.

Goku reacted first, thinking that perhaps a large enough Kamehameha could blow the whole of Uub's attack harmlessly into space. Goku had been in this situation before, and he was reasonably certain that as long as the ball didn't detonate near the planet's core, they would be alright.

In his Super Saiyan 3 form Goku was fast, but Uub was faster. He was able to dodge his former master while still holding on to his mile-wide attack. Vegeta and Gotenks followed suit, and they too were rebuffed.

"Dad, what's going on?" Gohan shouted.

"We have to stop Uub!" was all Goku would say.

"But what about the Dragon God?"

"He can help too, if he wants!"

Gohan glanced over at Omega Shenron, who looked as confused as Gohan felt. The young man cursed his busted arm and took off, followed by Omega and Pan.

"Uub, snap the hell out of it!" Pan screamed as she powered up via Kaio-Ken.

Everyone present attacked Uub. But despite the flurry of blows, Uub remained untouched as he quickly jerked from one direction to another, never letting go of the bomb in his hands.

Goku and Gotenks unleashed the full power of Super Saiyan 3. Vegeta attempted killing stroke after killing stroke. Pan and Gohan tried to reason with Uub between attacks. Piccolo and Omega Shenron simply fought as viciously as they could.

Uub was better than all of them.

"Can this man not be defeated?" Omega cried out. "What manner of creature is he?"

"He's Majin Buu!" Goku confessed at long last.

"A Majin!" Omega roared. "He looks nothing like those foul beasts!"

"You mean there's more than one!?" Vegeta called out.

Suddenly, Naturon Shenron leapt from nowhere, as if he intended to join the battle.

"No, stop!" Omega warned.

"No, master. I will merge with this being and halt his attacks!" Naturon announced as his body quickly disappeared into Uub!

The fighter's body went stiff for a moment. Thankfully, the ball of energy shrank down to nothing and everyone paused to see what would happen next.

Uub twisted in pain as if fighting something inside himself. He suddenly gasped for air as Naturon was violently expelled back into the air, his skin burnt and smoking.

Omega caught him. "No, you cannot die! I won't let you. I command you to live!"

Naturon coughed, and smiled as his master. "I am sorry, I have fail-…" he stopped short, his body going limp as he died.

Omega hung his head for a moment, as Naturon's body crumbled to dust. "I am the last of my kind. I truly am the Omega. I am the Ending."

Meanwhile, Uub just hung there in the sky, his eyes glazed over stupidly as all the fight had left him.

"Um, Grandpa?" Pan asked. "What do we do now?"

"I'm not sure," Goku confided, scratching his head.

Omega quickly shot forward and snatched Uub up by his throat. "I'll tell you what we do! We kill this abomination! We erase his very soul from existence!"

"Hey," Gotenks asked in his dual voice, "when did we let this guy on the team? Isn't it too early for him to become a good guy?"

"Why are you so determined that I am wicked?" Omega demanded to know.

"Because the Kais told us so," Goku answered. "They said you would try to destroy the universe!"

"And you tried to kill me!" Pan screamed.

"What? I did no such thing!" Omega denied.

"You shot me through the heart when Uub knocked you into the water!"

"That was not me, I tell you! I would never harm an unarmed child" Omega shouted.

"But the Kais-" Goku started

"Why would you believe them?! My people never meant any harm, at first. We simply came to this universe when ours was lost. But the Kais said that we could not live here, because our very nature warped your reality. There was one amongst them, a small ugly little Kaio-Shin that would not see our peaceable exit. He wanted our blood! He escalated war at every turn, until we had no choice but to become the very monsters his people feared us to be! But despite everything, we still have our honor!"

Everyone stood in stunned silence, wondering whether or not to believe his story.

"Well," a voice called out, "he's telling the truth!"

All eyes turned to the speaker, and recognized him as a Kaio-Shin!

"Yes!" Omega roared with rage. "This is the one! I will feast on your heart!"

The mysterious Kaio-Shin smiled. "I'm afraid not," he said as he snapped his fingers.

Just then, Uub quietly placed his hands on Omega Shenron's chest. "Devil Dragon Storm…" he muttered.

An enormous blast of energy tore through the Dragon's chest and erupted out his back, carrying all seven of the blood-stained black-star Dragonballs with it.

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S-Shield's Notes

Hmm, I'm kind of surprised how sympathetic I made the Dragons. Turns out they were just manipulated by the Evil Kai.

Oh, and the thing about the multiple Majins is another reference to Dragon Ball Online. Look it up, if for no other reason than to see Toriyama's awesome designs for the races in the game.

Thanks for reading.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The black-star Dragonballs sailed through the sky, propelled by the force of Uub's attack. The blood of Omega Shenron was quickly absorbed by each ball as if by a sponge.

Omega's lifeless body, however, released Uub's still form and quickly fell to the ground, and crashed silently below.

With a flick of his wrist, the evil Kaio-Shin drew the seven balls to him and slowly let them dance about his head like a dark halo.

"Are you one of the MaKaio-Shins?" Goku asked suddenly.

"Oh, you are knowledgeable about the after life, aren't you?" he sneered. "But then, how many times have you been dead, Son Goku? To answer your question, no, I was not recognized at birth as a Dark Kai, and therefore banished to the underworld of the Universal Sphere. But I do like the sound of that, for clarity's sake, you may call me Makai. Hilarious, don't you think?"

"Then what are you?" Vegeta barked.

"Simply a man trying to restore the honor of his kind. We Kaio-Shins are the recognized gods of this universe, yet for some reason so many creatures keep appearing, trying to usurp our place. First these Dark Dragons, then the Wizards, and now even you Saiyans think you are better than us! Well, no more, now I have the power to set everything right!"

"With the Dragonballs?" Vegeta laughed derisively. "You claim to have such lofty aspirations, and yet your goals are no different than any of the piss-poor despots we see every other day."

"No, you fool!" Makai snapped, "I don't want to make a WISH on the Dragonballs, I want the very power of the balls themselves! The powers to rewrite history, to resurrect the dead, destroy whole planets. I want to crack the Dragonballs open and feast on the forbidden power inside! But I could never have done that if any of the Dragons, the powers' natural owners, lived. So I recruited you to help me.

"I unleashed the Dragons from their tomb. I concocted the spell to seal away their power. Every time you thought you spoke to your friends the Kaio-Shins, you were speaking to me! I've directed your every move this whole time!"

"You used us!" Pan shrieked.

"What do you care? I am not the first of my kind to see the value you monsters represent!"

"Monsters!?" Gohan shouted.

"You Namekians and Saiyans. You started out as nothing but monsters. Occult worshipers, demon kings, space pirates and were-apes! You are barbarians, every last one of you. Even that boy, Uub, started life as the ultimate killing machine. Can you honestly call yourselves anything else?"

"It doesn't matter what any of us used to be, or what we were born as," Goku stepped forward. "We had no choice about where we started, but each of us chose to walk a different path. But you, you took those Dragons, you hounded and tortured them until you turned them into killers. That's the worst thing I've ever heard. Omega Shenron had honor, something you'll never have. You are the only monster here!"

Makai glared at Goku for moment. "Well, I suppose I should have expected you to make some pithy speech. The fact remains that I now have what I want, the means to unlock a power that has no equal. By combining this dark force with my own will and knowledge, the Universe shall be remade to perfection"

"It's impossible," Piccolo spoke up. "You can't unleash that much dark power at once; this universe is already filled with its own power. You would need an entirely empty universe into which to pour that energy and draw it into our own!"

"And can you think of no such place?" Makai asked, already knowing the answer.

"The Room of Spirit and Time!" Pan realized.

"Indeed. I shall return to your beloved Earth, enter that blank pocket dimension you use for training, and I shall turn it into my own personal battery, drawing out the dark power as my leisure."

Makai waved his hand suddenly, and the sky above seemed to ripple. The color changed from green to a sickly amber.

"What is this?" Goku asked.

"A seal. You cannot pass, not in your spaceships or with your teleportation. You will stay here while I make a quick trip to Earth and make it the Throne World of my new Empire! Thank you all so much for your help!"

And with that, Makai disappeared.

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S-Shield's Notes

Again, the thing about MaKaio-Shins comes from DB Online. Thanks for reading.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The black clouds gathered over the Lookout as Dende and Mr. Popo gazed up in fear.

"Have you ever seen a thunderstorm up here?" Dende asked.

"Not in all the centuries I've lived," Popo shivered.

Lightning flashed in the sky and suddenly a man appeared, followed by the clap of thunder.

"Who, who are you?!" Dende demanded.

The man raised his hands and knocked both Dende and Popo back, unconscious.

As the storm worsened, Makai casually walked into the Temple atop Kami's Lookout, the black-star Dragonballs trailing after.

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The instant after Makai disappeared, Goku quickly placed his fingers to his forehead and tried to teleport. He shimmered strangely for an instant before returning to normal.

"I suppose he's right about the seal over the planet," he muttered, taking a second to power down to his normal form.

"What about the spacecraft the children flew here in?" Vegeta asked, following suit.

"I'm willing to bet he's right about that too," Goku sighed, turning his attention to Uub, who still floated with that blank expression on his face.

"Any idea what to do with him?" Pan asked.

"Nope, I haven't seen this before."

The sound of someone approaching caused everyone to turn and see Bra, Oysta and Klam flying in their direction.

"Did you guys win!?" the girl asked hopefully. "I felt you guys get all 'roided up, and then the kids felt that Dragon dude get blasted. So is that what happened to the sky? Is the spell broken?"

"What spell?" Gotenks asked, both sides of him sounding equally annoyed.

"I dunno," she said. "Whatever it was the bad guys were doing…"

"No, Bra," Gohan answered. "This is something else. Another bad guy showed up and sealed us all on this planet, argh," he moaned, rubbing his bad arm.

"Guys," Pan asked, motioning to the two Namekian children, "would you guys mind healing my dad?"

"Of course," Oysta replied as the pair moved over to Gohan in order to heal the wound in his arm.

Goku quickly shifted his gaze to the ground below, and was there in a flash.

The others that could, followed. There, they saw Omega Shenron desperately clinging to life, despite the hole in his chest.

"Kids!" Goku shouted up at the Namekians, but Omega waved him off.

"It's no use, it would take power greater than theirs to heal me," he coughed. "You people. I lived countless years before being sealed away. I'm out for a day, and now all my kind are dead." He reached over and grasped Pan's hand. "You believe me now, don't you? That I did not fire on you!"

"Yes," she said. "I believe you."

"I am the last of my kind," he mused.

"No, you are not!'

Everyone turned to see the dark-green skinned man in burnt robes who had spoken.

"Pikon!" Pan screamed as she rushed to meet him. "How did you survive?"

"Kakarot," Vegeta whispered, "is that another of those weird looking Namekians?" Goku only shrugged his shoulders.

"Nova!" Omega called out, and Pikon quickly took his former leader's hand.

"You still live?" Omega questioned. "And yet, you are different. Changed somehow."

"Yes, my dark essence was sealed away, and with it my hate and bloodlust."

"You do not have our dark power, but you must reclaim it from that Kai. Swear to me!"

Pikon looked down at him. "No, I use a different power now. I will not return to what I once was, but I will stop that false god from gaining control of our universe!"

"Our universe?" Omega smiled. "Now you sound like yourself. Remember us…" and with that, Omega's body silently crumbled to dust.

Pikon knelt there, everyone else affording him a moment of silence for his people. At one time or another, each had felt the loss of their entire race.

Pikon stood suddenly, "I can get you to Earth!"

"But how, the seal…" Pan said.

"That doesn't matter. I know a way. Take my hands."

"Wait," Goku said, "I don't think we can all go. The kids should stay behind."

"Screw that!" Pan shouted. "We've gone this whole way, we're not stopping now!"

"Pan," Gohan stopped her, his arm now healed, "I think what dad is trying to say is that you all should stay here with Uub."

"That's right," Goku continued. "He's docile now, but if the Makai took control of him that easily once, it means that he could do it again. We're going to have our hands full as it is."

"NO!" Pan screamed. "This isn't Uub's fault! Like you said, Grandpa, it doesn't matter if he started out as a monster, he's better than that now! We can't just leave him behind, he's our friend!"

Everyone was pretty surprised by this reaction. Pan had never made her dislike for Uub a secret in the past.

"I mean, for a normal guy, he sucks, but for a monster, I suppose he's alright," she corrected. "I'll stay here with him."

"Fine," Goku smiled, proud of his granddaughter. "If your friend can get us to Earth, then I'll teleport your and Uub to the World of the Kais. I probably should check in and see if they're still alive. Maybe they can help?"

"Deal!" Pan said. She looked over at the still empty headed Uub.

She knew two things. Uub was strong, and they might need him. And if there was anyone strong enough to get through that head of his and pull him out, it was her. She also knew that of all those present, she was the only one who would be able and willing to do what had to be done if Uub started freaking out again.

This was Uub's last chance.

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S-Shield's Notes

Boy, Pan's mercenary, huh?

Bit of a correction. Last time I said the Dark Kaio-Shins were from DB Online, and that's not quite true. See, they recently released a new DBZ guidebook in Japan, and among the same old stuff, there is suddenly this detailed description of how Kai society works, including a reference to Dark Kais or "Makaioshins" that are banished to the underworld, the same place Dabura is from.

Most people thought this came out of nowhere until they saw the DB Online trailer, and the last frame is of a mysterious blue-skinned, white haired bad guy in the shadows, and so most people think that must be a Dark Kai, explaining the explanation from the guidebook.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed your history lesson, and thanks for reading.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Pikon stretched out his hands so that everyone could take hold.

Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, Goten, Bra, Oysta, Klam, and Pan each grabbed onto each other, while Pan held on to Uub.

Pikon focused intently for a moment, bowing his head as if in prayer. When he looked up again, his eyes were glowing red!

In an instant, the group was whisked away from New Namek, completely disregarding the seal placed over it by Makai, and transported over the vast infinity of space to arrive on the humble planet known as Earth.

The instant they arrived, they realized they stood atop Kami's Lookout, over which was hovering a truly devastating looking storm.

Goku quickly grabbed Pan, Uub and Bra, just for good measure, and placing his fingers to his forehead, teleported them all to the Homeworld of the Kais, where the Elder Supreme Kai and Kibitokai lived.

"Hey," Bra started. "Why did you bring me?"

"Because, um, it's really important that you help Pan look for the Kaio-Shins," Goku said, scratching his head. "That takes smarts, and I trust you!"

"Oh, okay!" Bra chirped, happy to be useful.

"Yeah," Goku said, turning to Pan, "Are you sure you'll be okay here?"

"Definitely," Pan smiled. "We'll find the Kais and keep Uub out of trouble. I promise."

"Great, I should be getting back. Be careful!" he shouted as he blinked out of existence.

"Soooo," Bra trailed off. "Where do you want to start looking?"

Pan looked around at the miles and miles of grasslands, and up at the purple sky. "Be safe, Grandpa," she whispered.

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Goku returned to the Lookout and found the group huddled over the unconscious bodies of Dende and Mr. Popo.

"They're not…?" Goku asked hesitantly.

"No, they're still alive," Gohan confirmed.

"Where's Vegeta?" Goku asked.

"Where do you think? He ran straight for the Room of Spirit and Time."

Goku turned to follow his example, but was suddenly blown back by the force of an explosion that destroyed the whole of the temple atop the Lookout, leaving a smoking crater leading down to the lower levels in its place.

Out of the hole burst Vegeta, his golden aura flaming as he began raining down blast after energy blast into the depths of Lookout, causing the whole structure to teeter on edge.

Everyone tilted as well for a second before taking to the air, making sure to grab Dende and Popo. The Lookout hung at an awkward angle in the sky as Vegeta eased up on his assault.

"Dad, what the heck was that?" Trunks shouted.

"I saw the door was still closed, so I tried to blow it and the connection to that world to hell! Hopefully he'll stay trapped in there forever!"

"I'm afraid it's not all that difficult to escape from that dimension," Piccolo sighed.

Suddenly, the leaning structure began to right itself. The bits and pieces that had been blown off began flying back up out of the clouds and reassembling themselves, restoring the Lookout to its proper appearance.

From deep within, the sound of footsteps echoed ominously. They grew louder and louder until at last, Makai emerged from the Temple.

His body had changed tremendously. Instead of a short, squat body and an ugly pug face, he now stood as tall as Piccolo, his physique in perfect condition, and his face like sculpture. He sported the familiar white mohawk and robes of his people.

"Man, infinite power and the first thing he does is make himself good-looking?" Goten scoffed. "How dangerous could this guy be?"

Makai chuckled at that one. "That's true. You make a good point. Even though I wield power beyond measure now thanks to your precious Dragonballs, I'm really not the type to engage in combat."

"Well, then you picked a fight with the wrong group," Trunks assured him.

"True, true," Makai answered. "But why sully my hands with your blood, when I have the whole of time and space at my command, including all who ever lived there?"

Makai threw up his hands, and dark energy began to coalesce around them. The two orbs distanced themselves from their creator and began to assume humanoid form. Both were apparently massive, hulking brutes, and when the dark mist dissipated, the heroes found themselves staring at two unknown beings who looked strangely familiar, one with his green skin, and the other with his golden aura.

"What the hell is this!?" Vegeta gasped, amazed at what stood before him.

"Why, these are your glorious ancestors, the monsters I spoke of earlier," Makai sniffed. "To my left, Lord Slug, the most terrible and despotic ruler the Namekian people ever produced. It was his great greed and lust for power that caused the natural cataclysm that turned Namek into a wasteland, and reduced its people to poor, weak cretins.

"And to my right," he smiled with ever increasing joy, "Brolly, the Legendary Super-Saiyan of a thousand years ago! The Destroyer of Worlds, upon whose brutal foundation, your power is built!"

The heroes gazed in awe and terror at these twisted charactures of their own power, each a beast with battle-madness in his eyes.

"Friends," Makai spoke, "I give you… yourselves!"

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S-Shield's Notes

So, did you see that coming?

And yes, in my version, these characters have different histories. Brolly doesn't exist in the manga, and since we had a legendary Super Saiyan from 1,000 years ago that we never saw, I always thought, "Why waste that design?"

Slug is just cool. His is one of my favorite movies, and I always wanted to use him somewhere.

What do you think? Please do me a favor and don't spoil anything in the reviews, I'd like for this to be a surprise for late-comers as well. Thanks.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Brolly and Slug struck without warning.

The pair barreled into the group of fighters with maddening speed. And although their attacks were fierce and quick, their targets were not random.

Brolly hit Vegeta like a freight train, carrying him a fair distance from the Lookout.

"Grrragh, get off me!" Vegeta roared. "I am the Prince of All Saiyans!"

"Heh," Brolly's laugh sounded like bones breaking. "They called me that once, too!"

"You are not the Legendary Super Saiyan!" Vegeta cried, "You are just some illusion or other piece of magic that cursed Kaio-shin has dreamed up!"

"No, my little princeling, it is YOU who are not the Legendary Super Saiyan! You shame our House by letting that commoner and his half-bred kin surpass you at every turn! And then you bed down with a dirty human yourself? You're children are bastards, not royalty!"

"Don't you EVER talk about my children!!" Vegeta raged as he broke free from Brolly's grip and brought his elbows down on either side of the brute's neck.

Brolly reeled back in pain, his blank eyes seething with vengeance.

Slug struck Piccolo with a speed that seemed impossible given his bulk.

"So, Scion of the Dragon Clan?" Slug called out. "What have you done with your life? What have you obtained and achieved? You skulk around this little world, playing the part of the wise philosopher, when deep down, you know you are the Great Demon King!"

Slug drove his fist into Piccolo's face, only to have it blocked.

"I don't need to explain myself to one such as you," Piccolo informed Slug.

"Piccolo!" Gohan shouted as he approached, "I'll help you!"

"Oh, your loyal students, eh? Well then, I shall have to make myself equal to the task!" Slug bellowed as his body suddenly began increasing in size! Within an instant, he was a giant.

Slug's laugh echoed for miles as he swung both his hands out and caught Piccolo between them, seemingly squashing him like a bug!

"NO!" Gohan screamed.

Suddenly, Slug's hands began struggling to stay together as Piccolo pushed them apart from within! His arms erupted into long green stems as they pushed Slug's giant hands back on either side.

Quickly, Piccolo jumped out of the death grip. But instead of returning his arms to their normal length, he swung his body around and used them like whips, sending each hand down, lashing Slug in both his eyes!

The mighty Slug clawed at his own bloody eyes as he howled in pain.

On the other side of the field, Brolly launched himself at Vegeta again, only this time to be halted by SS3 Goku's Kamehameha into his back!

"Kakarot!" Vegeta screamed. "Stay out of this!"

"Aw, come on!" Goku whined. "He's the Legendary Freaking Super Saiyan! You gotta let me in on that!"

"NO! Go fight the Kai or that big-ass Namek over there! GO!"

"Fine!" Goku shouted as he turned and headed back towards the Temple and Makai. He landed on the Lookout, and eyed his enemy, sizing him up.

"So, is that all your new dark powers let you do?" Goku asked, "Pull real fighters out of time?"

"Oh, not at all. My power is unlimited now!" Makai smiled.

"Really?" Goku turned his head. "If that's the case, then why not just snap your fingers and kill us all, or make is so we never existed?"

"Surely you of all people would not deny me a chance to stage a battle between History's greatest fighters? Who would you like to face? Frieza, again, perhaps? Or maybe someone new, like his son Kurieza? The space pirate, Bojack? Or maybe I could invent someone, like an Evil Goku from a parallel universe?"

"I think," Goku started, taking a few steps forward, "that despite your great powers, you can't kill us yourself. It's like how the Eternal Dragon couldn't kill Napa and Vegeta when they came to Earth because it couldn't kill anyone stronger than its creator. And since you have no creator, you can't use your new power to just kill anyone stronger than you. Am I right?"

Makai stared at Goku, cold fury building behind his eyes. "Have a care, Goku. While I might not be able to kill you with a thought, I can still send you to the heart of the sun, or summon an army of Great Ape Oozarus and set them loose on every corner of this world you love so much!"

"Why are you so interested in our ancestors? The Saiyans and the Namekians, what's that all about?"

"I have my reasons. You people claim too much. You think you are above all others simply because you are strong. We are GODS! We will not bow to you monsters!"

"Is the Elder Kaio-Shin cool with all this?" Goku asked. "Because I'm reasonably certain none of us asked him or you to bow. What you say makes no sense."

"I don't have to make sense," Makai screamed. "I am powerful, and that means I'm right!"

Around him exploded points of dark light, each one coalescing into a fighter. Some Goku recognized, others he did not. All at once, they attacked him.

Luckily, Goku was not alone.

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S-Shield's notes

Whew, battles galore, eh?

Thanks for reading.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Look, over here! I found them!" Bra shouted as she jumped up and down, pointing at the two Kaio-Shins who stood frozen in time.

Pan walked over dragging Uub behind her. "Wow, Grandpa Goku was right… Good job," she said as she came closer to get a good look at the Kais. "I wonder how we unfreeze them."

"Um, blast them with chi?" Bra suggested.

"That'd probably be hilarious, but I don't think so. Dang, we should have brought the Namekian kids with us, they know all about spells and stuff. Jeez!"

Uub slowly began walking over to the Elder Kaio-Shin.

"What's he doing?" Bra asked.

Uub lifted his finger and touched the Kai on the end of his nose slightly.

The entire area erupted in a surge of power! Pan and Bra were blown back as Uub and the Kai stood in the eye of the storm.

Suddenly, the Elder Kai blinked, and then sneezed. He began looking around, trying to figure out what was happening. He raised his hand and halted the windstorm and quiet returned.

But Uub began shaking his finger as if something on it was irritating him. He began shaking it harder and harder, getting angrier all the time. Uub started yelping and growling, the chi pressure around him getting denser.

"Crap," Pan jumped to her feet. "Here we go again!"

Just then, the Elder Kaio-Shin placed his finger on Uub's forehead, and the young man froze in motion.

The Elder sighed. "Goodness, what is going on around here!?" He noticed Pan nearby and called her over. "Do you have any idea?"

"Um, yes sir, you see-"

"Bah, don't bother explaining, just let me touch your forehead and I'll read your mind."

"Don't do it Pan," Bra urged, "My dad warned me about this guy. He said he's just like Master Roshi…"

"We don't have time for that now," Pan snapped and came forward.

The Elder, with one hand still on Uub, placed his other on Pan. He was quiet for a moment, and then blurted out, "Sweet lord! The Dragon Gods are back! And everyone is fighting on Earth! What is it about that planet that draws in the crazies like a magnet?"

He shook his head, "What to do, what to do…"

"Um, sir," Bra raised her hand, "that other Kai over there looks kind of anxious, like he's trying to tell you something."

The Elder looked over and saw Kibitokai sweating and staring at him intently, the rest of his body still frozen.

"Oh, you couldn't pull yourself out of it, eh?" he sighed and then snapped his fingers.

Kibitokai regained control of his body magically, "Oh, thank you sir. That was horrible. It was that ugly little Kaio-Shin, he was just mad that I wouldn't appoint him to a position as Co-Supreme Kai after all the others were killed by Buu. That miserable little..."

"Yes," the Elder interrupted, "I know all about that little underachiever. It's sad what self-esteem issues can do to a person. Funny you should mention Buu right now, seeing as how we've got him here at our disposal."

"What," Kibitokai started.

"This fellow here, you remember Goku's apprentice, Uub. Seems he was Majin Buu reincarnated the whole time. Astounding really."

"But how is that possible? Buu didn't have a soul to reincarnate."

"Oh, it could be any combination of factors. Perhaps he gained a soul after absorbing all those people and developing a personality? Maybe this is just a higher form of regeneration and evolution, Buu's two greatest traits. And maybe, just maybe, when Goku took my life force, he nipped a little bit of my god-powers in the trade, and was able to make this happen. Who knows, all that matters is we have just the man to save the day!"

"But, Mr. Kai, Uub is dangerous, and nuts," Pan protested. "Plus, I don't think you should use him like that."

"Goodness, young lady, you really think I'd use him? What do you know? Your little friend is in pain, here! Deep in his head, he's fighting a war against himself. And he needs help; he needs someone to pull him out of his darkness."

"Can you go into his head and fix him?" Pan asked.

"No, child. Neither you nor I can help your friend. Only one person has that kind of power. But maybe I can give him a little push in the right direction, eh?" the Kai smiled as he placed both hands on Uub's face and concentrated.

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In the darkness, Uub was lost.

He was scared of his power. It was a terrible and monstrous thing. He had hurt people. People he loved. He could not be trusted. Not anymore.

So he would just go away. Just go deep into his own mind, wrestling Buu the whole way down and never let either of them get out again. It was the only way.

"Nah," Goku said, coming out of nowhere, "that's stupid. You shouldn't be afraid of your own power!"

"Goku," Uub asked, "What are you doing here? This is my mind."

Goku ignored the question. "Look Uub, the thing is, power is power. It doesn't really matter where you get it from. All that matters is how you use it."

"But I'm a monster."

"So? I'm a Saiyan, I was sent to Earth to destroy it. But look at me now. Same with Vegeta, and Piccolo, lots of us. So you were born a monster. That doesn't mean you have to be one."

Uub couldn't believe it was that easy. "That's what I'm trying to do. I can contain Buu in here; it's the best thing I can do to save the world! Like you taught me."

"I never taught you to give up. It's the one thing I didn't teach you. Well, I didn't teach you about girls either, but that's mainly because I'm not quite clear on the finer points myself, but my point, Uub," Goku said, looking his pupil right in the eyes, "is that nothing good will ever come from hiding in your own mind. If you do that, you're as good as dead.

"So you're a monster. Big deal. Don't hide from that power. Harness it. Use it to help others. Then you're not a monster, and you're not a loser. Then you'll be a real hero. I promise.

"And besides, if you screw up and go nuts, Pan'll probably just kill you before you do too much damage."

Uub stood there, in the darkness of his own mind. The closeness to Goku was great. It felt warm, like the sun.

"Thank you, Goku," Uub said finally, having made up his mind. "I couldn't have done it without you. But seriously, how did you get in here again?"

Goku smiled that wicked smile. "Uub, haven't you figured it out yet?" he said, his voice changing with his appearance. "You've been talking to yourself this whole time."

Uub stared and his own reflection and smiled.

He turned, and began powering up! The light of his energy illuminated the whole of his dark surroundings. The vast area inside Uub's mind was set ablaze.

And there, in a dark little corner, huddled the small and pitiful form of Kid Buu, trying his best to hide from the light.

Uub walked over and raised his hand. Buu recoiled, fearing that he would be struck. But when he opened his eyes again, Uub was simply holding out his hand to Buu, seemingly in friendship.

Buu hesitated for an instant, before finally reaching up and taking the hand. Uub pulled Buu to his feet, and the pair of them flew upwards towards the sun.

When Uub opened his eyes again, he found himself staring full into the withered face of the Elder Kaio-Shin.

"Bah!" Uub shouted, falling back in surprise, as the Elder did likewise.

"Uub, are you okay?" Pan ran forward.

Uub looked down at his hands, feeling the strength in them again.

"Yeah. Yeah, Pan, I am!"

He hopped to his feet, and took her hand.

"Come on," he said, "I think we're late for the fight!"

"But how are we going to get there!?" Pan asked.

"Instant Transmission," Uub said, like she'd asked a stupid question.

"I thought no one knew that but Grandpa Goku," she said annoyed.

"Yeah, but I just remembered I learned it from him back when I was Buu," he smiled that wicked smile as he placed his hand to his forehead and blinked the both of them out of sight!

The Kais stood, startled at this sudden turn of events.

"Hey!" Bra shouted. "They forgot me!"

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S-Shield's Notes

At last, the end of angst-ridden Uub. Now he actually reminds me of a character from DBZ.

You know, I started writing this story with Uub's part fully in my mind. And after a while, I realized that he was the only character in DBZ history that was scared of his own power. I thought I'd really screwed up and gone away from the theme of the series, until I realized that THAT was how I'd talk him out of it!

I guess I'm just a genius ;)

Thanks for reading.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Dende's eyes fluttered weakly for a moment before opening. In his still-groggy state, it was hard to fully take in everything that was going on around him.

Quite simply, it was War.

All around him, he saw tons of strange new fighters, swarming the skies over the Lookout. His friends were fighting them, two, three, sometimes four at a time.

"They're back," the young Kami sighed with relief, despite the situation.

"Excuse me, sir," a voice sounded above him, "but you are quite heavy."

Dende looked up to see that he was currently being held in the air by a small Namekian boy with an oddly yellow face. A quick turn to the left confirmed that another boy, almost identical to the first was holding up Mr. Popo.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Dende apologized, shifting his chi so that he hovered by his own power. Reaching over, he took hold of Popo, "Thank you for carrying us, but who are you exactly?"

"You're my lunch is what you are!" a voice growled at the small group, as a large, gray-skinned man came towards them, licking his lips. "I love snail!"

Dende tensed for a second, trying to decide where there was to run that didn't lead into another crazy person.

Suddenly, something whooshed over Dende's head, spinning towards their attacker. With a quick slicing sound, the man found the lower half of his body separated from his upper half. The expression on his face as he tumbled to the ground would have been comical if it wasn't so macabre.

"Heh, just like old times, eh Dende?"

Dende looked up and saw a familiar face. "Krillin!"

"Yep," the older man smiled. "You didn't think we'd miss this!"

"Stop trying to look cool, dear," Android 18's cold voice warned as she quickly dispatched with a creature nearby. "You're too old."

Krillin's face sunk for a second, "Okay, sweetheart…" But then he caught Dende's eye and winked, pointing over the lad's shoulder.

Dende turned and saw Yamcha, Videl and even Tien and Chaotzu joining the fight, taking some of the strain off of Goten, Trunks and the others.

"Wow," Oysta exclaimed.

"Yep," Dende replied simply.

Krillin turned and headed for the Lookout. Above it, he saw a flash of golden light mixing with a red aura. Goku was in SS3 form, battling a couple of Devil-looking monsters. He was having the time of his life.

"Hey, Goku!' Krillin waved. "Need any help?"

"Krillin!" Goku smiled brightly. "Nah, these guys are good, but not really anything dangerous!"

Just then, a devil-beast kicked Goku in the back of the head.

"Oh, you jerk!" Goku yelled as he drove his fist into the creature's stomach, causing its eyes to pop out of its head!

Krillin flew on and saw Vegeta battling some Super Saiyan that reminded him of Future Trunks in his Ultra Super Saiyan, or Ascendant Saiyan, form. "Got to remember to ask Goku about that later…" Krillin noted to himself as he continued, making sure to stay clear of that fight.

The echo of a mighty roar made Krillin turn and see a giant Namekian fling itself at Piccolo in a blind rage. Piccolo released a numerous energy balls that surrounded his opponent from every angle, finally converging on the Namekian at a gesture from their master, resulting in a devastating explosion.

"The bigger you are, the easier you are to hit," Piccolo told the creature's corpse as it fell out of the sky. "There's a reason I only used that technique once!"

"Piccolo!" Krillin shouted as he flew over. "Okay, so Bulma told us about the Dragons and everything, but I feel like we've missed some stuff. What's up?"

Piccolo brushed from blood off his shoulder. "Basically, an evil Kaio-Shin has cracked open the Dragonballs, absorbed their power, and has brought all these fighters back from the dead to kill us before he conquers the universe."

Krillin stared at him. "You know, Roshi bet me 20 zeni that's exactly what was going on."

Brolly stood sweating, blood seeping from the various wounds on his body, as he stared into the cold eyes of his kin, Vegeta.

"I'll give you credit," Vegeta said, "You are way faster than I would have expected you to be in that form. But still, you're no match for me. I guess they were just more easily impressed back in the day!"

Brolly shouted obscenities as he unleashed a flurry of blows at Vegeta, who dodged them all. Taking a moment to smile after blocking the last shot, Vegeta then commenced his own assault on the legendary Super Saiyan.

Each punch sounded like thunder, echoing for miles, as Vegeta held nothing back. At last, he raised his palm to Brolly's face. "You are a Saiyan King," he said, "so that means I will grant you the traditional death of our kind, a killing-stroke from your own son, as he takes your place!"

The resulting blast erased not only Brolly, but several other random fighters in the background.

Vegeta calmly readjusted his glove. He had just beaten the legendary Super Saiyan. If there were any lingering threads of doubt in his mind as to his own strength and worth, they had just evaporated.

Vegeta turned, yelling a joyous war-cry, and headed for the thickest group of fighters.

Trunks and Goten stood back to back. Having stayed as Gotenks too long, they needed a while apart before they could fuse again. Neither was pleased..

"I got to say, I like it when we fight at this level," Goten said.

"I know, it's like a challenge, but not something overwhelming. I never could understand why your dad insists on fighting guys way stronger than him for fun," Trunks said.

"Because that's the only time he gets to go all-out for a long time, and see how strong he really is," Goten answered. "Maybe you'd know what that's like if you weren't so lazy."

"Lazy," Trunks shouted. "At least I have a day-job. You just hang around all day trying to get girls!"

"At least I'm not a momma's boy."

"You are a total momma's boy," Trunks shouted, just as something zoomed past him, blasting away at a few of his opponents.

Goten and Trunks looked over and saw that it was Bulma in a small fighter plane. She was giving them the thumbs-up.

"Okay," Goten smiled. "Who's the momma's boy?"

Makai stood atop the Lookout, gazing around at his handiwork.

A large object suddenly dropped out of the sky, and landed right in front of him. When the dust cleared, a wide pink creature stood up and revealed himself, smiling that terrible smile that made his squinty eyes open just a little bit.

"Majin Buu," Makai confirmed. "So what makes a miserable creature like you think you can challenge me?"

Buu's smile continued. "I eat Kaio-Shins for breakfast! Chocolate!!"

Buu leaned forward and fired a blast from the appendage on his head. Makai simply slapped it away, the beam traveling on and hitting several nearby warriors battling Gohan, turning them all the candy bars right before the bewildered scholar's eyes.

Buu's own eyes wandered over to the candy bars as he scratched his head.

"You were the worst," Makai said, bringing Buu back to reality. "You and that boy of yours. You killed my clan. You caused so many atrocities, and yet these earthlings embraced you! How is that possible, how can they allow monsters like you to live among them. It's insane!"

"So is that your problem?" Goku asked as he dropped down beside Buu, carrying several of the devils he'd fought over his shoulder and dropping them to the ground at his feet. "You're ticked off because we actually forgive our bad guys and let them stick around if they're sorry? Come on, that's stupid!"

"You only think that because you yourself were once a monster, all of you were!" Makai shrieked. "But I won't let this world continue to give safe harbor to monsters!"

Makai raised his hands, the whole Lookout beginning to glow purple with dark power. All the fighters in the sky vanished as their energy was recalled.

"Stop!" Piccolo shouted. "You can't pour that much dark power into this universe, you'll overload it!"

"We'll see!" Makai screamed over his own hell-storm, the waves of dark power so intense that no one could get near him. "I'll see this world destroyed before I let you go on living in it!"

"No," Pikon called out as he landed on the tiles, seemingly unaffected by the force of the power Makai was unleashing. "I have had quite enough of you!"

"You are just like the others, a monster that claims to be a hero, you will die!"

"NO!" Pikon repeated, as the timber of his voice changed and his eyes grew red again. He reached up and removed his turban, revealing horns growing out the top of his head.

"I AM THE KEEPER OF THAT POWER YOU ABUSE, AND I SAY – _YOUR WISH SHALL NOT BE GRANTED!!!"_

"That voice," Goku hollered. "It's the Eternal Dragon!!"

"I don't believe it," Dende yelled. "Pikon is the Eternal Dragon!?"

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S-Shield's notes

Oh, bet you didn't see that one coming!


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The Dragon was unsure what had existed before.

He believed he remembered nothingness.

He knew that his physical form had been crafted out of stone by the one known as Mr. Popo. He was given life by the Kami-Sama of the Earth, and that he was the avatar responsible for dispensing the power of the seven magic Dragonballs. His name was Shenron

He was the one who granted wishes.

But as time passed, he began to notice familiar faces. It seemed as if the same group of people called to him over and over. These people, he was aware, not only used his powers wisely, they protected it. They made sure that evil men did not abuse the power.

In that way, they were his betters. Because, once gathered, the Eternal Dragon was required to grant the wish of whoever possessed the Dragonballs. He was given no discretion.

The Dragon was accustomed to granting wishes. But if anyone had ever asked him what his wish was, it would have been to stand alongside these brave fighters of Earth.

And then, one day, he found his little corner of reality under assault. His power was being sealed away, but not his mind. They had forgotten about his mind. In a panic, he searched out for someplace to go.

Miraculously, he found an empty vessel within his sphere of influence. One that was ideally suited for his use, for it was another Dragon, like himself, but with a body designed for combat.

It was not a pleasant exchange, at first. The trauma of the event was such that Shenron forgot who he was for a time. All he seemed to remember at first was that he had to protect the Dragonballs at all cost. That, and that he loved the fighters of Earth.

Over time, new memories entered his mind, those of another life. One spent in pain and fear, and eventual violence. Those he tried to ignore.

He sacrificed himself for the humans. He alone took a blast that was meant for them all. And as his body died in the coldness of space, he made a wish. He wished he wasn't about to die. And so he didn't.

It was then that he remembered who he was…

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"Who are you?!" Makai screamed in terror.

"I AM SHENRON, THE ETERNAL DRAGON!!!"

"This can't be! You were one of the Dark Dragons, Nova!"

"NO LONGER! NOW YOUR POWER SHALL BE UNDONE!!"

Shenron flew at Makai, totally disregarding the level of dark power that kept everyone else at bay. Makai didn't know what to do. He wished himself away from the battlefield, but Shenron caught him. Shenron dragged him back and threw him to the ground. Makai broke free and took the air, but it was not use.

"Dende?" Gohan asked, "What is this?"

"Yeah," Goten agreed, "how is Pikon the Eternal Dragon?"

"I guess when we did that ritual, the spirit of our Shenron took up residence in the body of that Dark Dragon."

"Clearly the Kai didn't expect that when he told you the ritual," Trunks offered. "He was his own undoing."

"And now he fights the last member of the Dark Dragons," Goku said solemnly. "Now he has to answer for his crimes."

Shenron stood atop Makai, holding him in place with his foot. The Dragon raised up his hands and began taking control of the power swirling around them both.

The mass of dark energy began shrinking as if draining out of a sink. Power flowed in reverse, as Makai's body returned to its original, puny form.

"No!" he cried out in rage. "It's mine, all mine! You can't have it!"

Shenron raised his hand. "YOU ARE UNWORTHY TO RECEIVE THIS GIFT. THEREFORE IT SHALL BE RETURNED!"

The black sky cracked and shattered, blue returned and the air lost its depressing haze.

All was normal again. Shenron smiled.

"Oh, man!" Goku yelled as he wrapped his arm around Shenron's neck. "That was totally awesome! Shenron? How did you do that?"

"It matters not," Pikon said, as his voice and power slowly returned to normal as well. "All that matters is that the world is safe, right Goku?"

"That's it," Goku smiled. He looked back over his shoulder at everyone, and saw how happy they were. "Another crisis averted."

Makai wriggled under Pikon's feet. "Do you think there is any hope for this one?" he asked.

"I don't know," Goku confessed. "We'll leave that up to the other Kaio-Shins."

Just then, there was a large tearing sound, as if the very fabric of reality had separated before them. A flash of light blinded the group as a roar echoed though the now blood-red sky.

"Kakarot," Vegeta warned. "Something's gone wrong!"

Dark red energy began to blaze out of Makai's mouth, ears and eyes. Once again, the temple atop the Lookout erupted as something truly massive and terrifying arose, seeming to encircle the entire structure.

It was a dragon, long and sleek like their Shenron. But this one's scales were red, and the horns on his head a nasty forest of bone and wood. Its face alone was roughly the size of the entire Lookout.

"What the hell is that?" Vegeta shouted.

"That," Pikon whispered, "Is the God of the Dark Universe. It was from he the Dark Dragons fled into this reality, after he destroyed all other life in their universe in a fit of rage! His power has no limit. I fear we are doomed!"

"SO, AT LAST I HAVE FOUND YOU, LITTLE ONE. YOU THOUGHT TO ESCAPE ME, BUT YOU HAVE ONLY LED ME TO ANOTHER WORLD TO RULE OVER. AND FOR THAT, I THANK YOU!"

"Are you saying this guy is unstoppable?" Goku asked.

"Can you not feel his dark power raging? None of you will even be able to get near him!"

Suddenly, a blast of energy flew past the pair and collided with the Dragon King's eye. The Dragon King recoiled in pain, his howl threatening to tear the Lookout apart.

Everyone turned to see where the shot had come from. There stood Uub, his body enveloped in power. Pan floated beside him, "Well, I guess we've got a volunteer!"

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S-Shield's notes

And Uub returns. You like how the Dragon King just shows up out of nowhere like the last boss in a Final Fantasy game, right? And yes, you should be picturing Red Shenron from DBGT when you see him. Another good design I hated to waste. Thanks for reading.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

And there he was, a god of indescribable destructive power, whose very presence made the foundations of reality shake. A Dragon King unlike any other, whose wrath had already brought about the end of one universe, come to rule over theirs.

Uub could only smile. "Sounds like a challenge to me."

His opponent was truly enormous. His scarlet form filled every corner of the sky, and his very head was so large he could have bitten the Lookout in half with one bite.

So Uub did the only logical thing in his mind. He rushed the beast as fast as he could and punched him square on the nose.

The reverberations of the thunder carried all the way down to the ground and cities below, where the citizens looked up, not bothering to shield their eyes from the sun. They didn't know what was happening, but after this many years, they really didn't see any need to worry about it.

But after a moment, a few realized that it was not the sun that was emitting so much light. Black clouds hid the true sun from view. So what was that fire in the sky…?

The Dragon King reared back, bellowing with frenzy at this second blow. He opened his great mouth and began collecting energy. A miniature sun came into existence and matured there, all in the span of a few seconds. The Dragon King fired this sun at Uub as if spitting a seed.

Uub looked over his shoulder at the people gathered on the Lookout below him. These were all the people he loved most in the world. He smiled at them because he knew; he would not let them down.

Turning in one fluid motion, Uub brought his hands before him and simply shouted a basic chi defense, stopping the approaching sun in its place. A second scream dispersed the ball of heat as if blowing out a candle.

"Uub just stopped a freaking sun…" Trunks whispered in awe.

Uub glared into the Dragon King's eyes. "Well, now. That should do for a warm-up!"

Below, Pikon could still feel his heart beating with increasing speed, the look on his face betrayed him to Goku.

"What is it?" Goku asked.

"He may have a chance," Pikon breathed. "Heaven help him, but he may just have a chance."

"Yep," Goku smiled simply.

"But there is a problem!" Pikon continued. "The universe is still being flooded with Dark Energy. And right now, the Dragon King is the only thing channeling that power. If Uub kills him, that power will spread rampant throughout the universe, crushing everything in its path!"

"Well, what do we do?" Trunks asked.

"We must go to the source, the place were the evil Kai unleashed the power of the Dragonballs!" Pikon informed them all.

"The Room of Spirit and Time?" Pan said.

"Correct, it is from there the infection is spreading. But I do not know how to close the door, so to speak."

Pan glanced down for a moment, and quickly snatched up the weak and sniveling form of Makai off the ground. "Well, this little jerk started all these problems; surely he knows how to stop them!"

"Alright," Goku leaned forward, getting right up in Makai's face. "Are you going to help us save the world, or am I going to have to hand you over to Vegeta?"

Makai's eyes darted to the Saiyan Prince, who stood with his arms crossed, looking as menacing as possible.

"Okay, okay, I'll undo it!" Makai whimpered. "But I'll need help rewriting the spell."

"We can do it!" Oysta and Klam shouted at once. "We know all about that stuff, we spent our lives training for it!"

"I'll go too!" Dende offered. "This is my duty as the Kami-Sama of Earth!"

"Very well," Pikon said. "As long as Uub does not kill the Dragon King too soon, we shall be able to seal up the tunnel between universes."

Suddenly, there was a crash beside them all as Uub collided with the floor of the Lookout. He dragged himself out of the crater, wiping blood from his chin. He saw the others and smiled a nervous smile. "Don't worry; I've got it all under control!"

Vegeta sniffed, "Yes, I don't think killing that beast too soon will be much of a concern."

"So what do we do?" Goten asked.

"Help Uub contain the Dragon King," Pikon advised. "Distract him so that we can have our chance!"

"Got it!" Goku agreed as he, Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, Goten and Buu took the air, following Uub.

The Dragon King saw their approach and growled. "SO, YOU WISH TO OVERWHELM ME WITH NUMBERS? THEN PERHAPS I SHALL EVEN THE ODDS!"

His eyes glowed a horrible black and suddenly there appeared before him seven fighters, copies of Omega Shenron, each one, except that their skin was red instead of white.

As the heroes engaged the dragon warriors in battle, Dende led Pikon and the others under the Lookout, towards a secret entrance that led into the lower layers of the structure, as the Dragon King's body was blocking the upper entrance.

Bulma stood looking at the other members of the group not assigned a task. "Well, I'm not sure what we're supposed to do," she remarked as they suddenly began to glow and disappeared from the battle ground.

They all found themselves standing under a pink sky as Bra ran up to them. "Mom, guys, the Kaio-Shins grabbed you all!"

"Yes," the Elder said, "I feel it's probably best that you remain here for the time being, that battle is sure to be beyond any of you."

"Aren't you going to help them?" Bulma asked.

"What?! Hell, no!" the Elder spat. "Didn't you just hear me, it's freaking crazy out there. I'm not touching that. Besides, I already made it so Uub could fight, that's enough for one day. Now, let's all just sit back, watch the fireworks and pray that the universe survives this."

Back on Earth, Uub and the others battled their dark rivals as the Dragon King gazed on.

"YES, PUNY MORTALS! STRUGGLE ON, WASTE YOUR FUTILE LIVES IN COMBAT AGAINST MY CHILDREN! BWAHAHAHA!"

"Got him!" Goku shouted as he blew away his dragon warrior.

"Me too!" Uub and Vegeta shouted at once.

The Dragon King's eyes widened in shock as his warriors fell.

Below them all, Pikon and company had at last found the doorway to the Room of Spirit and Time. From within, wave after wave of dark energy erupted, flowing up the corridor and then forming the basis for the Dragon King's body.

"Here we are then," Dende announced. "What now?"

"I will need the Dark Dragon to aid in my spell," Makai said. "The young Namekians will contain the rampant energy and the Kami-Sama shall rebind the Dragonballs. That should do it."

"And don't you try anything funny," Pan warned Makai, "Or I'll beat your head in."

Makai sighed, and then looked over at Pikon. "In that case, you are aware what this will entail, don't you?"

"Yes," Pikon answered solemnly.

"What? What's he talking about?!" Pan asked.

"To restore the Dragonballs and stop the flow of dark power, I must return to my original state. I must become the Eternal Dragon once more."

"But what about you? Does that mean you won't be Pikon anymore?" she asked, a deep look of concern on her face.

"I am afraid so," he bowed his head. "But there is no time, we must do this now!"

Above, Goku looked at something bizarre that was floating in the air where his opponent had stood a moment before. "Is that a crystal ball or something?"

"I've got one too," Uub shouted over.

"It's a Dragonball, you fools!" Vegeta shouted. "Clearly he used them to create his warriors! If we kill them all, then the Dragonballs return!"

"I dunno," Goku said. "It's all clear and stuff. Doesn't look like a Dragonball."

"Once they perform their ritual downstairs," Piccolo shouted as he struggled with his dragon, "their power will return, and they'll be whole again!"

"Oh, okay! Do you need any help over there?" Goku asked.

Pikon stood in the center of the storm, his eyes closed in preparation. Dende, Oysta, Klam and Makai took their positions around him, ready to perform their tasks.

Pan stood at the doorway, unable to enter for all the dark power in the room. She was worried about Pikon, her friend, but she was also keeping an eye on that treacherous Kaio-shin.

While the others dealt with the dragon warriors, Uub flew up to the face of the Dragon King, determined to end this fight with whatever power he possessed. He would not freak out and he would not fail.

'SO, YOU ARE THE NATURAL INHABITANTS OF THIS UNIVERSE, EH?" the Dragon King asked.

"Yes, we are defending our home!" Uub shouted back.

"THEN LET'S HAVE IT. DO YOUR BEST TO KILL ME, AND STOP ME FROM DESTROYING YOUR WORLD," he said, almost with a sadness in his voice that sounded strange.

Uub looked back over his shoulder and saw the other dragons being defeated, and the seven hollow crystal balls floating in the air.

"Fine," the young man said, as he prepared to strike.

Makai began the incantation to reverse his spell and reseal the boundary between worlds. Oysta and Klam took hold of the loose strands of power as Dende attempted to reweave and bond them to Pikon's being.

The green fighter roared in pain as his physical self came undone, and he felt himself returning to an ethereal form.

"Pikon!!" Pan yelled.

Pikon's eyes came to rest on Pan for a moment as he felt himself slipping away. He smiled one last smile. "Fare thee well," he said with his last breath.

Twin explosions rocked the skies over the Earth as the tear between the two universes was sealed up and Uub poured all his power into a blast against the now-weakened Dragon King.

Uub's attack was a strange one, unique in that it was a golden rush of power that resembled the Eternal Dragon in form. The wave of light seemed to actually roar with a voice of its own as it collided with the Dragon King, shattering his body like glass and ending his endless life.

From deep within the bowls of the Lookout, seven beams out light flew out and joined with their crystal forms, flaring to life again as the seven magic Dragonballs.

"They're normal again!" Goten hollered as they all gazed at the red star twinkling inside the orbs of amber.

The darkness fled and the sun returned!

There was a quick flash of movement as Kibitokai appeared, carrying with him the Elder, Bulma and everyone else. The group shouted and rejoiced, hugging each other and screaming for joy that once again, their world had been spared.

Uub's exhausted body floated down and came to rest on the cool tile. He had never been tired before, as he always had an endless supply of power before now. Now he knew he had a limit to those powers. The realization fired something deep inside him. It brought out a desire to shatter those limits, and to get even stronger!!

A hand came to rest on his shoulder and he looked up to see Goku smiling at him.

"I feel, different now," Uub said.

"That's because you're starting all over again," Goku told him. "You've found out there's even more to life than you thought, and don't you just want to go and see it all?"

"Yeah!" Uub said.

"You won, Uub. Shout it out!"

"YEAH!!" Uub roared his victory up to the skies, for even the gods to behold.

"Hey!" a voice shouted as it came out of the Lookout. It was Pan. "Quiet the hell down would you? We've got to check on something!"

Pan walked over and gathered up all seven Dragonballs and placed them on the ground. She took a deep breath and shouted "Shenron, come out!"

The balls simply sat there for a second, as if refusing to answer. And then, suddenly, a burst of power erupted up into the sky and took the form of Shenron, the Eternal Dragon.

"REFECT ON YOUR DESIRES MORTALS, FOR I SHALL GRANT YOU ANY THREE WISHES!"

"Can you bring Pikon back to life!?" Pan shouted.

"THAT I CANNOT DO, FOR I CAN NOT GRANT A WISH THAT WOULD END MY OWN EXISTENCE," Shenron said objectively.

"Fine," Pan sighed. "Anybody else want anything?" she asked as she walked off.

Everyone looked around. "I can never think of wish when I'm standing right in front of the Dragon," Krillin said.

Oysta stepped forward hesitantly, "Um, if it is alright. Could we maybe ask you to restore our clan back to life?"

"Hey, that's right!" Trunks said. "You guys said that they were killed by the Dragon's overwhelming force, right? So that means they weren't supposed to die."

"THAT IS A WISH I CAN GRANT!"

Shenron's eyes blazed for a moment. All around the Lookout, elderly Namekians appeared, all having the same yellow faces as Oysta and his brother Klam.

"Father!" Klam shouted as he ran to one of them.

"My boys!" he sighed with relief. "My boys! What has happened?"

Oysta and Klam explained the whole story to their elders, about their death and rebirths, and about how their task was finished at long last.

"So that means you no long have to worry about guarding the Dragon's Tomb," Kibitokai assured them. "But I can still teleport you all back to your home planet if you wish."

"You mean return to that little empty rock to live out the rest of our days?" one of the Nameks asked.

"Why, yes I suppose so."

The new Nameks all gazed over the rim of the Lookout, beholding the beautiful green and blue of the Earth. They stood there for a moment, and then a few ran far faster than any men their age had a right to and jumped off the edge.

The rest of them followed, laughing and flying off to explore this exquisite new world.

"Hey, wait!" Dende shouted. "Where are you all going, I don't think you can stay here?"

Piccolo caught him by the shoulder. "I think it'll be okay," he smiled. "After all, they deserve a vacation. And we could use the company."

"ARE THERE ANY MORE WISHES?" Shenron asked suddenly.

"I can't think of any," Goku said.

"IN THAT CASE, I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE, AND RETURN IN FOUR MONTHS TIME. IN THE MEANWHILE," he said, leaning his head down towards Pan, catching her by surprise, "I SHALL SAY… FARE THEE WELL!" he winked.

Pan gasped as Shenron smiled, and then blazed with light as he disappeared. The Dragonballs rose into the sky and sailed off to the four corners of the Earth.

"Goodbye, Pikon!" Pan shouted gleefully as she waved at the seven streaks of light.

"So, what do we do with this one?" Kibitokai asked the Elder as he held up Makai.

"Oh, I suppose we can put him to work somewhere. Perhaps scrubbing toilets in Hell?"

"Hm, that reminds me," Goku said, leaning over to Uub. "If I remember correctly, the Planet of the Kai's is pretty sturdy. I bet if we went up there, we could get some serious training done," he smiled. "I mean, now that you are in control of your power, we can finally spar for real!"

Uub smiled that wicked smile at Goku. "Race you there!" he shouted as he put his fingers to his forehead and teleported away, Goku following!

"Hey!" Pan shouted. "You aren't leaving me behind again! Arrgh!" She wheeled on the Kais, "Take me up there! I can't let them get stronger without me!"

"Me too!" Vegeta roared.

The Elder Kaio-Shin rolled his eyes. "Fine. Maybe while you all are up there, I'll hang out down here. It should be quieter without all you nuts!"

They all teleported off, heading up to Heaven to join their comrades, while the rest of their friends and family could only laugh how typical an ending this all was.

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S-Shield's notes

Well, that's it! I hope you liked it. Jeez I'm tired.

This was the first story I ever published on . It has turned out to be the longest story I've ever written, as well. Even though I kind of abandoned it after about the fourth chapter, people just kept coming back and reading it over and over, making me feel bad, so I thought I should go ahead and finish it.

I really didn't know it would take me another 21 chapters.

Well, thanks for reading, and for all the support. I hope I did your favorite characters justice, and I hope I made you like some characters like Uub and Pan who didn't get a lot of screen time in the manga. I hope you like the way I used stuff from GT in a "better" or at least more compatible way. I hope you like how I tried to tie this in to DB Online.

I really hope you liked the ending, such as it was. The thing about DB is that it always ends the same, with the characters running off to a new adventure, with that infectious optimism that is the trademark of the series. There was really no other way to end it, was there?

Thanks again, and be sure to let me know what you think!

Kamehameha!


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